Scientists and slammers: An evening full of surprises in Cottbus!

Scientists and slammers: An evening full of surprises in Cottbus!

On July 1, 2025, a remarkable scientific slam took place in Cottbus, at which Dr. Jane Worlitz, operational manager and co-founder of the central scientific facility (ZWE) of the research factory Center for Hybrid Electric Systems Cottbus (chesco), won first place. Her lecture entitled “(e)mission (im)possible” impressed the audience and ended with a sensitive ukulele song “Über den Wolken”.

The competition for the best presentations was intense. A total of seven scientists took part who dealt with various topics. Martin Lautsch, who works at the Chair of Automation Technology at the BTU, took third place with his presentation on the “scientific investigation of the UFO phenomenon”. Other participants were Anja Schröter with the topic “I am not a sadist”, as well as Alexander Leymann and Willi Max, who spoke about “Between anger and science: communication in conflict”.

Variety of topics and cultural entertainment

The other topics ranged from Mareike Herold's lecture on the post-mining landscape in dating mode to Jonas Petasch's discussion of Sorbian identity. Gregor Pasemann from HU-Berlin looked at the relationship between cells and models. The evening was moderated by Jessy James LaFleur, who led through the program with charm and wit, while the Julia Baer Quartet performed jazzy sounds as musical accompaniment during the breaks.

The great interest in topics such as the UFO phenomenon is reflected in current research. In his series of articles in “Stars and Space”, Prof. Hakan Kayal from the University of Würzburg looked at various hypotheses regarding UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) without ruling out any specific ones. In the March 2025 issue, he highlights that the discovery of new natural phenomena, similar to sprites, could answer fundamental questions in physics and cosmology. He emphasizes that understanding advanced terrestrial technologies could lead to solving global challenges.

Social impact and scientific collaboration

However, Kayal also warns of the enormous societal impact if UAPs are due to non-human intelligent activities. His investigations are based on over 1,000 UFO reports received by the Central Research Network of Extraordinary Celestial Phenomena (CENAP) in 2022, without any evidence of extraterrestrial spacecraft. The AARO agency declared the 2015 "GOFAST" video to be an optical illusion that did not travel at high speed but rather "with the wind" and had characteristics of a small drone or bird.

Kayal calls for closer cooperation between various institutions such as NASA, AARO and skeptical organizations such as GEP or CENAP. The Spremberg presence office is already planning to organize another science event next year and thus promote exchange about fascinating topics such as UFOs and many others.

Overall, the scientific slam in Cottbus shows that science can be not only informative but also entertaining, and stimulates discussion about current research results and their social implications.