News in Detail
Review: ScienceFriday - An inspiring workshop for researchers
PhD students, postdocs and research project collaborators from various disciplines had the opportunity to present and discuss their dissertation topics and current challenges to an expert panel of fellow doctoral students and professors in attendance.
Exciting research topics were presented during the workshop. The participants offered insights into their research work and received valuable feedback, which helped many to sharpen their research questions and to rethink and optimize the next steps for their dissertations or dissertation projects. The lively discussions and constructive feedback from colleagues and professors contributed significantly to the development of new perspectives and approaches.
Nadine Probol, associate PhD student, presented her research on ‘Autism Markers in Spoken Language’. Her research questions relate to the following aspects: Which characteristics and markers allow NLP-based models to automatically detect autism in language and speech? Are NLP-based models able to point to markers in language which could aid the detection of autism?
We are delighted with their positive feedback on ScienceFriday: ‘I personally found it very interesting how different and at the same time practical our projects are. The questions that were asked after my own presentation particularly were helpful for me. They can sometimes be a painful because they can point out gaps etc. quite clearly, but in the end it's important and that's exactly why we do it.’
Paul Nasdalack, project team member in the Impact research project - crowd science project for AI-supported detection of lunar craters, funded by ESA:
"Science Friday gave me interesting insights into the work of my fellow researchers. With regard to my own study and research question Does a game integration have significant impact on citizen science user retention rates? the stimulating discourse at Science Friday contributed significantly to re-evaluating my research question and refining methodologies. The interdisciplinary exchange with other researchers in particular helped me to think "outside the box" and to network beyond my own nose."
Dr. Maksym Vakulenko, post-doctoral researcher, presented his research work in the project "Building a semantic network for the Ukrainian language" and talked about the development of "Ukraijnet - the Ukrainian wordnet", which was created in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Melanie Siegel and Jonathan Baum.
Anne-Kathrin Berg is doing her doctorate on the topic of "Meaning and acceptance of public service news in "simplified" language".
"Once again, I found it very rewarding to talk to different doctoral students and professors and receive feedback on my own work. The interdisciplinary exchange helps me to get to the heart of my own topic even more clearly."
Jonathan Baum presented the topic of his master's thesis "Development of a prototype to promote participation and expansion of WordNets" and brought his research question to the table:
How can a prototype WordNet data management application be developed to enhance the user experience of WordNets while ensuring formal and logical consistency of data?
"It was helpful for me to see that the doctoral students also have their small problems and need support and exchange - professionally or organizationally. The interdisciplinary discourse provides input that goes beyond one's own nose, which is varied and can be inspiring or provide food for thought."
Outlook
The open and supportive atmosphere of the workshop was particularly emphasized. The participants appreciated the opportunity to discuss their work critically yet supportively in a collaborative environment. This exchange not only promoted individual progress in the respective research projects, but also strengthened the sense of community among the doctoral students.
The positive response confirms that this series of events is well received and helpful for many doctoral students.
It is therefore already clear that the next ScienceFriday will take place in the winter semester 24/25.
Finally, the ikum and dkmi team introduced the participants to the concept of resilience in a final round. A new format is planned for the winter semester in which doctoral students and project staff will be introduced to resilience strategies and methods for strengthening their own resilience. More information on this will follow shortly.
A big thank you to all participants!
The ikum & dkmi team