2023 StuFoExpo
StuFoExpo meets Science Slam: clearing the stage for student research
Have you studied excellently but you have the impression that your achievements have gone unnoticed? Are you interested in sharing your research onstage? See how it feels to take on the role of a junior researcher and take part in the 6th exhibition of student research at the 2023 StuFoExpo on October 26, 2023, from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. The event will take place in the Dülfersaal Ballroom at TU Dresden (Dülferstraße 2, 01069 Dresden).
After three years of holding the event online, the 2023 StuFoExpo will finally take place in person again! Not only that: As a participant, you can present your research this year either in the conventional combined format of a live pitch and poster, or you can impress the audience in an entertaining science slam. Regardless of how you choose to present your work, a winner will be chosen in each category by a jury and the public. All winners will receive prize money as a reward.
Who can participate?
All students who have conducted research and want to present their projects. You are free to present a final thesis, a seminar paper or another research project from any field at TU Dresden, regardless of whether you are enrolled in a Bachelor’s, Master’s, Diplom or State Examination degree. Even partner or group projects can be submitted to the competition.
The StuFoExpo offers students an informal setting to test out their presentation skills and practice introducing their own research projects before taking them to a larger stage, for instance to a science conference.
To further support students in their development, they will receive constructive feedback on their presentation from a jury comprised of a diverse range of people from various fields.
It is worth emphasizing that the main purpose of the event is for students to practice presenting and illustrating their research project to an audience of people who are not specialists in the field. This also enables students come together from various areas of scientific expertise and share their research with each other.
Pitch your Science - Preparation workshop for StuFoExpo 2023 with actor Sven Hönig
In the weeks leading up to the event, a workshop will be held to provide participants with useful tools, tips and tricks for creating their presentation.
The workshop will be led by actor Sven Hönig, who has been an ensemble member at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden since 2017 and has also worked on numerous well-known films and TV shows (including Krabat, Die Päpstin and Franky Five Star).
Since 2002, Sven Hönig has also been a trainer for presence and stage training and has worked with numerous scientific institutions.
We are therefore very pleased, that the participants of StuFoExpo 2023 will be able to benefit from his extensive know-how!
- Workshop Part 1: October 9, 2023
- Workshop Part 2: October 16, 2023
The workshop is planned to take place in person in the Fritz-Förster-Bau (rooms FOE 147 and FOE 148).
Contents of the workshop
How do I appear on the "stage"? How do I show my personal strengths to their best advantage? How can I increase my presence? Which possibilities of verbal and non-verbal communication are available to me? How do I use my voice effectively and without wasting energy? How do I deal productively with stage fright?
The participants will learn the basics of stage presence and voice training and will develop a concept for a presentation of their individual scientific topics. Possible forms of presentation could be a "live pitch" or contributions in the context of a "science slam". The participants will try out their performance and find out from which perspective or from which role your research topic or your concern can be presented best.
The workshop will be rounded off by individual presentation training and the opportunity to look over the shoulders of the other participants during individual sessions and to give feedback in an appreciative manner. The work is mainly practical and playful. Methods from acting, communication training, creative writing and different feedback methods fill the participants' "toolbox" and prepare them for any form of public appearance.
Participation in this workshop is exclusively reserved for participants of StuFoExpo 2023!
Do you want to be part of it?
For applicants
Simply fill out this form and send it to . The application deadline is July 23, 2023!
The number of spots is limited. The selection process will take into account an even representation of TU Dresden Schools and ensure a varied range of topics.
For the audience
Everyone who is interested in student research at TU Dresden but does not want to present their own project at StuFoExpo 2023 can visit the event on October 26, 2023. As the audience, you will decide in our live voting which projects have convinced the most and will be awarded with the prize money. Due to limited space, audience registration is urgently required! Click here to register via Opal.
Join us on October 26, 2023, from 3:00 to 7:00 pm at the Dülfersaal Ballroom for the 2023 StuFoExpo! Present your project either as
- a live pitch with a subsequent poster session, or
- a science slam and discussion.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Frequently asked questions
All students who have done research and want to present their project can participate. This includes theses, seminar papers and other research projects. Work is welcome from all subject areas and from students of almost all levels – no matter whether they are pursuing a bachelor's, master's or Diplom or state examination degree.
The same applies to students from the field of medicine, who are also allowed to submit their doctoral theses, as these are often written during their studies.
Students who will be exmatriculated on first of October, 2023 can also participate, provided they were still enrolled in the summer semester of 2023.
PhD students and doctoral candidates are excluded from participation with the exception that they began their doctoral studies on first of October, 2023 and were still enrolled in their previous degree programme in the summer semester of 2023.
The application deadline for this year has expired. We look forward to receiving many applications next year.
The number of slots is limited. When selecting applications, we take care to ensure that the various faculties are represented equally. In addition, submissions are selected to enable the greatest possible variety of topics.
The StuFoExpo 2023 will take place in a language hybrid, as English-language contributions may also be submitted. English contributions will be presented in English and the poster session of the respective students as well as the audience discussion will be held in English. For German-language contributions, the event language will accordingly be German.
A jury consisting of a wide range of experts from different fields will elect the winners according to defined evaluation criteria. Participants will receive their evaluations or their feedback after the event.
The winner of the audience award will be determined after the pitch and poster sessions or the science slam by means of a live voting by the entire audience.
Yes, you may apply even if you can only present an interim status of your work by October 26, 2023. Feel free to take advantage of this opportunity, try your hand at scientific presentation and get new input for the further course of your research.
Students who create a poster will receive a form with tips for the design (link will follow soon!). For all other forms of presentation, i.e. pitch and science slam, there will be a workshop exclusively for StuFoExpo participants with the actor and trainer for stage presence Sven Hönig. This workshop will take place on October 9 and 16, 2023, and is intended to prepare you optimally for StuFoExpo 2023.
At StuFoExpo 2023, a pitch is a very short presentation of your research project. The pitch should arouse curiosity about the research project so that the audience will want to talk to you during the poster session in the second part of the event. The pitch should contain the main content of the research and should last 2 minutes.
You may use a presentation (slides, images, short video excerpts) for your pitch. Please note that the poster will be presented in a separate poster session only after the pitches have been presented.
In a science slam, the results of your own research project are presented in an entertaining and creative way, entirely in the spirit of science communication. You can use media such as PowerPoint, props or live experiments. At StuFoExpo 2023, the Science Slam may last 8 minutes. Afterwards you get 4 minutes for the discussion with the audience, which you order yourself.
Why is there a StuFoExpo?
Students make important discoveries over the course of their studies. However, most of the research they conduct goes unnoticed by a larger audience. Many final theses get buried in a drawer or a file folder after their evaluation, never to be opened again.
With the Student Research Exposition (StuFoExpo), we would like to change that!
The Student Research Expo is an exhibition of student research projects, organized for students by students. It receives funding from FOSTER and support from the Center for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (ZiLL). All participants have the opportunity to present their project to an audience and take part in discussions with event attendees.