4.5.16 | The exhibition vessel MS Wissenschaft has started its tour through Germany setting off from Kiel harbor. As part of the year of science 2016*17 the exhibition on board the 100 metre ship is dedicated to “Seas and Oceans”.
“The exhibition shows the importance of the world’s oceans for the climate, how we can protect them and what makes the underwater world so fascinating,” says Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, deep-sea researcher and chairwoman of the steering committee of Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD).
This year visitors can dive into the mysterious world of seas and oceans, discover habitats such as coasts, high sea, deep sea or the polar sea and get an insight into the versatile work of researchers.
The Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) has also contributed an exhibit. Visitors can dive into a coral reef using a virtual reality headset and experience what strains and stresses the reefs are exposed to. The exhibit has been developed by Robin Remmers, software developer at the IT Department of the ZMT, in collaboration with biologists Dr. Sebastian Ferse and Dr. Hauke Reuter as well as the communications department.
“Coral reefs are suffering from destructive fishing methods, overfishing, ocean acidification, eutrophication and a rise in water temperatures – currently as a result of El Niño,” says Dr. Ferse. “Our 3D-model shows in an impressive way, how corals react to some of these stress factors.”
“The exhibits are inviting visitors to discover and try out,” adds WiD managing director Markus Weißkopf. “We’d like to give an easy insight into complex scientific topics. In a playful way they can find out how sustainable fishery works. They can dive through a tropical coral reef and discover what creatures live in total darkness thousands of metres under the sea.”
In 2016, the exhibition vessel MS Wissenschaft tours 33 cities in the North, West and East Germany on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. In 2017, the journey will go to the south of the country and also include Austria.
Wissenschaft im Dialog has implemented the exhibition on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The exhibits have been contributed by research institutes from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Helmholtz Association, Leibniz Association, Max-Planck Society and by DFG-supported projects, universities and others.
Opening hours:
Daily 10 am – 7pm
Guided tours:
Daily at 5pm, during holidays and at weekends at 11am and 5pm
Registration for school classes:
Groups of more than 10 people need to register at www.mswissenschaft.de/schulen.
The exhibition is suitable for pupils from the ag of 12.
Appointments for school classes are available from 9am.
First stops:
Kiel: May 3 - 8, Hörn am Willy-Brandt-Ufer
Rendsburg: May 9 -11, Am Kreishafen, Höhe Wasseramt
Hamburg: May 13 -16, Sandttorhafen, Kaiserkai
Geesthacht: May 17- 19, Schiffsanleger am Menzer-Werft-Platz
From July 14 – 17 the MS Wissenschaft stops over in Bremen!
Robin Remmers
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
More information at:
www.wissenschaftsjahr.de and www.mswissenschaft.de
Contacts