I used the image of a bucket of cold water to summarize the Vienna Lecture on Science Communication on the eve of the ball, immediately after Professor Astrid Séville’s presentation. I found her remarks on kitsch and the crisis in science communication both “refreshing and sobering.” With the courage to present a concise thesis, grounded in strong theoretical arguments, Séville explained the necessity of good science communication while simultaneously warning against overloading it with well-intentioned content and the supposed compensation for deficiencies in democratic discourse. Continue reading A bucket of cold water →

The Vienna Science Ball Gown Swap on January 9, 2026, once again proved to be a crowd-pleaser. Over 100 gowns and suits drew visitors to the foyer of the Biology Center at the University of Vienna, part of the Vienna BioCenter Campus, for both buying and swapping. Praised by the Kronen Zeitung as an “exemplary event,” guests browsed the colorful selection at the “dress carousel for ball enthusiasts” (W24) while enjoying a glass of Prosecco.

Continue reading Second-hand fine fabric →

It is a particular favorite of the audience at the Science Ball: the wrinkle-free photo booth creates graceful silhouettes reminiscent of 18th-century paper cuttings – depicting the faces of the guests free of any worry lines or signs of effort from the dance floor. The symbols are inspired by science. The proceeds from your voluntary donations go to the MORE Refugee Initiative of the University Conference uniko. As contribution we recommend 5 Euro.

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Visualization expert Liuhuaying Yang fills data with sensory experiences – and thus opens up new avenues for science communication. What do agriculture and military technology have in common? Yang compares societies from 10,000 BC to 1800 AD, revealing the driving forces behind increasing social complexity.

Continue reading Making insights visible →

After the big Strauss year in 2025, there is no comemorational regent this season. The program is therefore free of anniversary obligations and allows for discoveries. That is why the Divertimento Viennese ball orchestra under Vinzenz Praxmarer is setting a rather unusual accent: the second movement (“Un bal”) from Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.

Continue reading The Divertimento Viennese plays Berlioz →

This year, we are delighted to once again be able to offer exciting camera fodder. One subject—produced by IMBA (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology)—is actually already a regular. Last year, the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) was the surprise star of the evening. The model organism in regeneration proved to be a hit with the audience.
Continue reading Photo op with Gregor Mendel and the Axolotl →

Cacio e Pepe is an Italian specialty that sounds simple but is not so easy to make. ISTA physicist Fabrizio Olmeda and his colleagues have researched the perfect recipe for the right creaminess of this Roman pasta.

Continue reading The perfect pasta →

She is one of the stars of the Vienna Volksoper, has sung at a Formula 1 race track as well as in the Prater Stadium, and gives solo concerts. Juliette Khalil sings where you least expect her to, while remaining remarkably true to herself. As to be encountered at midnight at the Science Ball.

Continue reading Juliette Khalil: The midnight star →

Mel Merio is a legend, but you wouldn’t know it to look at her. In 2025, this bundle of energy flooded people with ecstasy and got them dancing a whopping 240 times at the DJ booth. She is comfortable with any format: whether in the spacious state rooms of the Hofburg, at the Eistraum in front of City Hall, or every Thursday in the cozy, intimate Loos Bar at Mel’s Salon. And, of course, time and again at the Science Ball. This will also be the case in 2026 with the support of Radio Wien. Her motto? “Let’s dance and celebrate life!”