Instagram-worthy species glamour at the Ball of Sciences. Beyond its significance for research, the subject holds a unique aesthetic allure that will be magnified on the evening of the ball.

The natural history collections of the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM) are far more than mere exhibits. They are fragile time capsules, living laboratories, and places where the past, present, and future intertwine. With over 30 million objects, the NHM is a true archive of biodiversity and a source of inspiration for science and society. Here, nature is systematically recorded, its diversity documented, and the molecular signature of life deciphered. Every stone, every display case, and every specimen tells a story of the interplay between nature, science, and humanity. Continue reading Photo op with the axolotl →

The focus is of course on the well-deserved award as Scientist of the Year 2024, which Sigrid Stagl received today at the Concordia Press Club from the Club of Education and Science Journalists. But the economist at the Department of Socioeconomics at WU Vienna was also delighted to receive an invitation to the Science Ball that came with the award. Continue reading Sigrid Stagl: From the lecture hall to the ball room →

For me, science – not just my own, but also and perhaps even above all the natural sciences – means the possibility of arriving at a rationally justified assessment in an increasingly less transparent, increasingly differentiated and increasingly conflict-ridden world: rational in the sense of being based on knowledge rather than rumors, rational in the sense of being balanced, rational in the sense of including other approaches, rational in the sense of being (as) objective as possible rather than headed towards individual interests. Continue reading Ingeborg Zerbes: Communication without instructions „from above“ →

It’s literally a box office hit! Again, this ball season the Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus am Karlsplatz is our host. Thanks to their hospitality we are distributing our ordered- and pre-paid tickets at this well-located address in the inner city centre from Monday, 6 January, to Friday, 24 January, on workdays from 15.00 until 18.00.

The exact address: Stadtkino im Künstlerhaus, 1010 Wien, Akademiestraße 13. You can reach the ticket office via U1, U2, U4; tram lines 1, 2, 62, 71, D; Badner Bahn; bus lines 3A, 4A, 59A; Regionalbus 360.

Photo: R. Ferrigato

I am a scientist by conviction and by passion. It is science that continuously advances us as a species, towards a better, healthier future – and at the same time, science is full of beauty and fascination. This is an aspect that, in my opinion, receives far too little attention. Continue reading Sylvia Kerschbaum-Gruber: Full of beauty and fascination →

For me, science means truth. Without science, there is no factual basis for discussions and problem solving – every statement would be of equal value and no dialogue would ever come to a productive end. Continue reading Malarina: The truth is not for sale →

We are touched and saddened at the same time. But it is what it is. We are sold out! After the tickets for students, all regular tickets are now gone too. The very last chance to secure tickets is to book the last remaining honorary tables in the ballroom for €4200 or in the adjoining rooms for €2200, each with 8 tickets included. For the time being, the tables can be booked in our webshop. Continue reading Regular tix sold out too! →

We did it again: the student tickets are already sold out, despite an increased quota. Regular tickets at a price of € 120 are still available for the time being. Bookings for regular tickets and some honorary tables (which include admission tickets) are still possible in the web shop. Continue reading Student tix sold out →

Author Jessi Jezewska Stevens visited three Viennese balls last season for the magazines Foreign Policy and The Dial. She was particularly taken with the Science Ball. Here’s an excerpt:

“The Vienna ‘ball season refracts the flamboyant anachronisms of a region in transition. Dozens of guests and former debutantes (…) described the events to me in terms of glorious contradiction. The balls, I was told, are elegant, tacky, rarified, intimidating, democratic, elite, ironic, gorgeous, decadent, tiresome, astonishing; they are both political and apolitical, accessible and inaccessible, international and decidedly Viennese.'”