SCIENCE SLAM 2025, Villach | Winner Roy | SCIENCE SLAM 2025, Villach
The Facebook page of an aging macaque monkey. Sherlock Holmes on the scent of cancer cells. Brooms sweeping your arteries. A delivery service bringing you the iron your body needs. These were just some of the imaginative highlights from this year’s International Science Slam in Villach.
On 23 September, Villach became the stage for a vibrant evening of science, humor, and inspiration as the Science Slam took over the Kulturhof:Villach. The event, organized by the European Universities Office at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (CUAS), brought together 11 researchers from Carinthia, Poland, and Portugal, who delivered eight entertaining presentations that made complex research accessible to everyone.
The venue was filled to capacity with attendees from across the region—a clear sign that enthusiasm for science extends far beyond university walls. A highlight of the evening was the strong participation of the Medical University of Gdańsk and the Instituto Politécnico de Santarém, key partners in the ACE²-EU Alliance, represented by seven researchers who contributed five presentations. Their involvement underscored the event’s international and collaborative spirit and the close partnership between CUAS and its partner universities.
The audience award went to Roy Hammer, a PhD researcher at the zoological garden Affenberg in Villach, who captivated the crowd with his witty presentation on the social behavior of aging macaque monkeys. By creating a playful, fictitious Facebook page for “Oma Kathi,” one of his study subjects, Hammer humorously illustrated how female monkeys’ social interactions evolve over time.
Each performance reflected remarkable creativity, offering engaging perspectives on diverse research topics. Several participants even revealed unexpected acting talent, bringing their scientific stories to life with theatrical flair—celebrating not only science but also the art and joy of communicating it.
Building on this success, planning is already underway for the third edition of the International Science Slam, set for 2026, promising another round of inspiring, entertaining, and thought-provoking research performances.
The event formed part of an innovative training initiative designed to strengthen research communication skills among researchers at all career stages. It was organized in collaboration with Bernhard Weingartner from Science Slam Austria, the Kulturhof:Villach, the Government of Carinthia, and Infineon.
