New General Director Michael Decker for the German Museum in Munich!

New General Director Michael Decker for the German Museum in Munich!

Michael Decker has been appointed new general director of the German Museum in Munich. He took up his new position at a ceremonial introduction on Monday, which was led by Bavaria's Science Minister Markus Blume, the President of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Thomas F. Hofmann, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Axel Cronauer. Decker is not only a professor at TUM, but also the successor to Wolfgang M. Heckl, who previously headed the museum. The foundation for Decker's career was laid at the University of Freiburg, where he successfully completed his habilitation after studying physics in Heidelberg and earning his doctorate.

In the spring, Decker was appointed to the Oskar von Miller Chair for Science Communication at TUM. Before that, he worked as a professor of technology assessment at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he headed the area of ​​computer science, economics and society. In his new position, Decker emphasizes the importance of the German Museum, which is considered the largest museum of natural science and technology in the world. In his opinion, it is an essential forum for discussions about scientific knowledge and technologies and their impact on society.

The role of the German Museum

The German Museum is a central place for communicating science and technology. Decker emphasizes that scientific findings are of great importance not only for research, but also for everyday life and people's lives. He took the opportunity to emphasize the need to bring scientific issues into public discussion. Science communication plays a crucial role in addressing challenges such as the influence of algorithms or protection against diseases.

In the context of science communication, it is important to concentrate on real social challenges. In this context, the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) promotes various aspects of science communication. A key initiative of the BMFTR is to ensure that research projects address relevant topics that influence people's daily lives. The federal government's 2021 coalition agreement states that promoting science communication is essential to improve social discourse.

Promoting science communication

The BMFTR supports science communication through various structure-building projects. These include, among others, the Transfer Unit, which promotes a dialogue between science and practice, and the Impact Unit, which is dedicated to the design and evaluation of science communication. The online portal Wisskomm.de also offers a platform for information and discussions on this topic. The Wisskomm Campus offers online courses that help researchers improve their communications.

The BMFTR's initiatives aim to optimize the dissemination of information and to actively involve the public in scientific issues. This is done not only through information projects, but also through the Innovation Fund for Science Journalism, which is being set up by the Science Press Conference.

With Michael Decker at the helm of the German Museum, it is expected that the institution will not only remain a place of knowledge, but also become a driving force for science communication in Germany. The challenges facing society require an open dialogue about the role of science, and Decker is committed to meeting this challenge.