Recap: 5th TUDiSC Conference "Disrupting Scientific Boundaries"
Beginning with a fascinating keynote from Dr. Enno Fischer, in which the notions of scientific boundaries were challenged through an eclectic mix of case studies from the allegedly clear-cut world of particle physics, to the often politically charged terrain of forensic medicine, the TUDiSC 5th conference enjoyed a well-attended kick off on September 24 at the Open Science Lab, Dresden.
On this backdrop and with this inspiration carrying us forward, a full day of exchange began on September 25 with lightning talks in which the presenters were able to pitch their understanding of, and relationship to, the conference theme of “Disrupting Scientific Boundaries”. These ranged from assessments on the nature of democratic strength and the role corporations look to play in relation to this, to reflections on inclusive education in South Africa and Germany, to critiques of AI Datasets, and finally an exploration of gestures and body language through performance art. The wide-ranging foundations these talks put in place provided much food for thought in the conversations that followed throughout the day. Moreover, they acted as an excellent starting point for a conference with such diverse contributions and the desire to bring so many different disciplines together.
This was indeed witnessed in the subsequent World Café kick-off presentations which were clustered into two categories. In room one, with presentations from a perspective of “Artistic Dimensions”, participants were treated to discussions ranging from the racial politics underpinning a subject like Dark Matter in science fiction (and beyond), to the challenges of objectivity in the assessment of pedagogical practice. In room two, with presentations from a perspective of “Societal Implications”, participants were invited to ponder such broad themes as dissenting knowledge in Putin’s Russia; the role of social movements; and the dystopian/utopian divide over the matter of artificial super-intelligence.
After a coffee break in which the entire room was buzzing with conversation and enquiry, a three-round World Café began in which a space for deeper discussion and reflection on the presentations was provided in 30-minute session. In small groups participants were able to go back and forth through the PowerPoint slides of the presenters and explore detailed and specific queries or points of feedback in an intimate roundtable setting.
This fruitful and intellectually stimulating day was rounded off with the presentation of a graphic recording (see above) which had been put together and crafted over the course of the day by the excellent Franziska Schwarz. The development of the graphic recording could be witnessed in each of the breaks, as it was shown on large screens in all of the conference rooms. However, it proved greatly beneficial to reserve time at the end of the conference to view the finished version together, guided by an explanation from Ms. Schwarz on her vision and techniques for bringing the various presentations, discussions and scientific disciplines together.
We would like to thank all those who took part in making this such a successful conference and wish all participants, friends and colleagues of TUDiSC much success in their future endeavors!