We also realized that skepticism towards science, a lack of understanding of research, and negative attitudes towards scientific findings can destabilize society, creating gaps particularly in matters of health and environmental issues. We are dedicated to making science comprehensible and ensuring that people can rely on data to make daily decisions.
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1Easy access:Ensuring that our project is easily comprehensible by using straightforward language, providing multilingual translations and allowing people to engage with our work interactively.
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2Engaging Young Children:By involving young children in science activities and sparking their interest in research, we pave the way for lifelong engagement in the scientific field. This approach fosters trust in science and keeps them open-minded throughout their lives, while also helping them understand how research functions and the challenges it seeks to address.
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3Empowering Young Girls in STEM:We aim to inspire young girls to embrace science and develop an interest in STEM-related topics. Historically, the STEM fields have been predominantly male, so we specifically target young girls with our materials to demonstrate that they too have a place in research and that female scientists have made significant contributions in the past.
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4Understanding Diverse Perspectives on Inclusivity:We actively engage with individuals from various backgrounds to address inclusivity in research. By allowing those affected by discrimination to share their stories and highlighting areas needing improvement, we shift the focus from ourselves to those impacted by systemic issues, giving them the voice they rightfully deserve.
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Simplified language instagram feed with pictures and short explanationsTo promote inclusivity and ensure everyone can understand and engage with our project, we’re sharing a simplified explanation of the problem, our goals, and the design of our solution on social media. By making the information more accessible, we hope to involve a wider audience and encourage more participation. Science should be accessible to all, regardless of background or expertise. By breaking down complex ideas into clear, easy-to-understand language, we hope to invite more people into the conversation and create an open space for everyone to learn and participate.
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Different languages for surveyIn order to promote inclusivity and ensure that everyone has a voice, we’re offering our survey in multiple languages. By translating our survey, we aim to get an overview of people’s perceptions of water pollution and gather insights on the Byebuprofen project’s approach to this critical issue. By translating the survey in 11 different languages, including Chinese, Hungarian, Romanian, and more, we aim to remove language barriers and make it easier for people from diverse backgrounds to share their thoughts and experiences, giving us invaluable input in shaping effective and sustainable solutions for our environment. We believe that offering the survey in different languages helps create a more welcoming environment, where everyone can participate fully, regardless of their language proficiency. Inclusivity is important to us, and we want to hear from everyone.
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Workshop for Children aged 7-12To promote children’s interest in science and make it more accessible for students of all ages, we organized a workshop at Kinderuni (Children’s University). This project, run by Vienna’s largest universities, takes place over two weeks and offers 345 lectures and workshops for children aged 7–12. In collaboration with researchers Anca Iulia Stoica and Wolfgang Storff from BOKU University, we conducted a workshop titled “Little Magicians - From Dirty to Clean Water”. Designed for children aged 10–12, the workshop included quiz questions on water cleanliness and a lab station where the kids could "clean" water by turning it from pink ("dirty") to blue ("clean") using a baking soda solution that represented the enzyme Laccase. We also created a model river filled with trash, including medical waste, which the children removed with a fishing pole before sorting it into the correct trash bins. The day ended with a tour of the BOKU Institute for Urban Water Management, Industrial Water Engineering, and Water Protection, rounding off a successful workshop.
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Booth at the Researchers Night in Graz
At the Researchers Night in Graz on September 27, we set up a booth to present our project. The booth focused on several key areas:
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Fascinating children for science: Similar to our workshop at Kinderuni, we included interactive materials for young visitors, allowing them to learn how to sort trash properly and engage in hands-on experiments to clean water themselves. Additionally, we provided coloring sheets featuring important women in science, accompanied by brief texts highlighting their contributions and significance. By focusing on female scientists, we wanted to show children that women have always been integral to the scientific community. By that, we aimed to encourage them to consider pursuing science themselves, rather than dismissing it due to their gender. The coloring sheets also engaged younger visitors, ensuring that the Researchers' Night offered something for every age group.
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Inclusivity pin board: In addition to engaging with young scientists, we created a pinboard with questions designed to encourage visitors to reflect on inclusivity in research. We asked the visitors to consider obstacles they or other people might have faced, such as whether their contributions have ever been overlooked or if their identity has impacted their opportunities. This initiative aimed at starting an open dialogue about inclusivity in research and gather insights on participants’ experiences and perspectives. We posed these questions to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges individuals face.
Based on the input from visitors, we realized that motivating young girls to pursue science should start at a very early age, such as in kindergarten. It is important to challenge gender stereotypes early on, as these are often ingrained even before primary school. Young girls should understand that they can be fascinated by any subject, including STEM fields, and should receive the support they need to explore these interests.
Additionally, we heard stories about mothers not receiving credit for their work or being excluded from important meetings due to their responsibilities in caring for their children. We realized that the scientific environment needs to be more accommodating to parents and foster effective teamwork, rather than limiting opportunities for mothers because of their responsibilities outside of their careers.
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Collaboration with MINTality foundation: As part of our outreach efforts to discuss and promote inclusivity in science, we collaborated closely with the MINTality Foundation in Vienna, which is dedicated to inspiring girls in STEM fields from an early age and maintaining that enthusiasm throughout their careers. Their mission is to specifically implement initiatives that spark girls’ interest in technology and natural sciences while combating unfair societal stereotypes. They aim to strengthen girls’ self-confidence and create a lasting positive impact on society. Because their ideas aligned with our vision, we reached out and received flyers to provide children with access to the free online game Robotopia, which emphasizes that learning can be fun and engaging. This exciting digital learning game, specifically designed for primary school children, focuses on STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Aimed at students in grades three to five, Robotopia encourages the breakdown of stereotypical roles and fosters interest in STEM through entertaining and diverse challenges. Additionally, we received a copy of the children’s book Babaku to showcase at our booth. In this book, children are introduced to the world of technology through the adventures of Minty Mouse and her friends, featuring exciting experiments woven into the story that invite young readers to participate actively.
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