What is a science slam?

The format originally comes from the USA, where poets and storytellers have been demonstrating their art with an interactive audience at so-called poetry slams for over 25 years. The most successful variation on a poetry slam is the science slam started by the Haus der Wissenschaft in Braunschweig. The format has been particularly successful in cities like Hamburg and Berlin, but is also a crowd puller elsewhere. Each scientist has ten minutes to present their topic and infect the audience with his enthusiasm. It is not just about the scientific value of the presentation but also about making the talk as interesting and audience-oriented as possible. The passion for scientific knowledge should spread to the audience. The audience acts as the jury in deciding whether or not it works. The audience can award marks between 0 and 10 to decide on fame or failure for the speakers.