Colloquium by Katrien Kolenberg
Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 16:30
HS C
Students and Academic Staff
We invite you to our colloquium with guest Katrien Kolenberg, Professor of Science Communication & Outreach at KU Leuven and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Antwerp and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
From Equations to Experience: Why Science Communication Matters for Physics
Physics aims to describe the universe with precision, abstraction, and mathematical beauty. Yet its impact does not stop at equations on a blackboard or figures in a paper. How physics is communicated, to peers, students, policymakers, and society at large, profoundly shapes how scientific knowledge is understood, trusted, taught, and ultimately put to use.
In this colloquium, I reflect on science communication not as an optional add-on to research, but as an integral part of the scientific process itself. Drawing on my experience as an astrophysicist and science communicator, I explore how communication choices shape interpretation, engagement, and meaning, both within the scientific community and beyond. Examples range from familiar academic contexts to more experimental approaches, including the sonification of scientific data through my AstroSounds citizen science project and other art-science and multisensory formats.
Building on my work in teaching science communication to university students and researchers, I will also address recurring challenges in academic practice, such as how to communicate uncertainty without eroding trust and how to adapt to diverse audiences without losing rigor. This talk invites reflection on science communication not as simplification, but as a way of making the depth, process, and relevance of physics, and of science more broadly, visible and tangible.
Organizers: K. Erath-Dulitz, H.-C. Nägerl, F. Marleau