Knowledge for your ears
What happens when students meet real scientists and ask them exactly the kinds of questions that many people – and not just youth – are curious about? scienceCLASH, a new podcast created at the Gläsernes Labor on the Berlin-Buch campus, is the answer.
The Life Science Learning Lab “Gläsernes Labor” is a joint student laboratory of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, and Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH. The idea for the podcast came from Dr. Joanna Ziomkowska, a former scientist who now works as a teacher in Berlin. The podcast will be available on several platforms – and soon also on the radio.
Working on a podcast: A group of students together with Florian Herse (right), Joanna Ziomkowska (left) and Sarah Kedziora (second from the right).
The first three episodes of scienceCLASH will explore the microbiome and the intriguing question of how the tiny residents of our gut can influence heart health. Helene, Til, and Mijo – students in an advanced biology course at Käthe-Kollwitz-Gymnasium in Berlin – will discuss the question with Dr. Sarah Kedziora and Dr. Theda Bartolomaeus.
Kedziora is a molecular biologist; Bartolomaeus is a bioinformatician. Both conduct research in the Hypertension-Induced End-Organ Damage group headed by Professors Dominik Müller and Ralf Dechend at the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC), a joint institution of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max Delbrück Center. The project received scientific guidance from Dr. Florian Herse, who is also a member of the same group.
Hunting for bacteria in stool samples
“We are planning three episodes for each podcast,” explains Ziomkowska, who coordinates and produces scienceCLASH, and who also facilitated contact between the students and the scientists. “The first episode will introduce the topic, the second will provide deeper insight into the research, and the third will offer a fact check of common everyday knowledge.”
To experience real scientific research firsthand, Helene, Til, and Mijo were invited to take part in simulated clinical study procedures. Nurse Heike Schenck used various methods to assess their heart health. Afterwards, Kedziora presented an experiment from her own research: using qPCR, the students analyzed DNA from stool samples to identify which bacterial species were present.
A podcast for everyone
“A bit gross, but definitely fascinating,” says Kedziora. “All three students were fully engaged. I personally found the entire project incredibly enjoyable. I’d highly recommend that my colleagues volunteer their own research for future seasons.”
The project is set to continue. “So far, the feedback has been very positive,” says Ziomkowska. “Many people – including adults – have listened and told me that it was the first time science actually made sense to them.”
For the next season, Ziomkowska is considering the topic of AI and neurobiology. However, the question of future funding remains open. The first season was supported by the Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften & Biomedizin in Deutschland (VBIO). “I’m currently looking for new funding sources and have submitted scienceCLASH to the Fast Forward Science competition, among others,” Ziomkowska says. The winning entries will be announced later this summer.
Text: Anke Brodmerkel
scienceCLASH on air
When: Friday, 04.07.2025, 11 am - 1 pm and 7 pm - 9 pm
Where: ALEX Berlin, FM (91.0 MHz), cable (92.6 MHz) and DAB+ (channel 7D)
Further information
- scienceCLASH (German only)
- Gläsernes Labor
- Fast Forward Science (German only)
Contacts
Dr. Joanna Ziomkowska
Project Manager scienceCLASH at the Gläsernes Labor
scienceCLASHpodcast@gmail.com
Dr. Sarah Kedziora
Müller/Dechend lab
Max Delbrück Center, ECRC
sarah.kedziora@mdc-berlin.de
Anke Brodmerkel
Editor Communcations
Max Delbrück Center
+49 1522 - 1757795
anke.brodmerkel@mdc-berlin.de or presse@mdc-berlin.de
