Visibility
NeuroCure supports events for the public that increase the visibility of women and other underrepresented groups in science, including:
Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach format that promotes the role of women* in science (*including cis or trans women, queer, and non-binary persons) by turning public areas into spaces for interactive learning and scientific discussion. Inspired by London Hyde Park’s Speakers’ Corner, a historic arena for public debate, Soapbox Science invites female* and non-binary scientists to stand on a soapbox and present their research projects to the public.
In 2017, as founding sponsors, NeuroCure and the Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin helped Soapbox Science Berlin get its start in the German capital. Since then, we have continued to support events and expand our collaboration. Soapbox Science Berlin is now a regular event each summer and at Berlin Science Week at iconic outdoor locations around the city.
For more impressions of Soapbox Science in Berlin, see Events.
Speaker S. Wegmann (Photo K. Mason)
Since 2021, NeuroCure and the Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin have supported joint events of LGBTQ+ STEM Berlin and Soapbox Science at Berlin Science Week that showcase the power of diversity both in scientists and their research.
The mission of LGBTQ+ STEM Berlin is to increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM and to connect the community, starting with Berlin.
For more impressions of Soapbox Science with LGBTQ+ STEM Berlin, see Events.
Speaker D. Alatriste Gonzales (Photo K. Mason)
In Berlin, there are two secondary school tracks: the gymnasium, which prepares young people for entrance into the university system, and integrated secondary schools, which tend to have a higher proportion of students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and to prepare them for vocational careers, though they also offer a pathway to university study. Accordingly, careers in science are less promoted at integrated secondary schools, and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may be less inclined to consider science as a career. To inspire an interest in science among these students – and ultimately to promote greater diversity in science - in 2024, NeuroCure initiated a collaboration with Soapbox Science Berlin to bring scientific talks and an introduction to the practical side of lab work to an integrated secondary school – in signature Soapbox Science style.
For more impressions of Soapbox Science Berlin in the Schoolyard, see Events.
Photo K. Mason