Science in a vivid way: A parasitic plant threatens the sunflower. Dennis Reckwell compared it to Count Dracula.
Winner: Dennis wowed the audience with his slam.
Science Slam
Inspiration on stage
For the third time, the KWS Science Slam offered a platform for exciting projects, new ideas and scientific findings. A surprise talk also added that extra special touch.
Einbeck, 4 p.m. on an October afternoon. All eyes are on the stage in the auditorium. Those who couldn’t be there in person joined in via Teams. Once again, anyone with an exciting idea – whether from Research, Marketing or other departments – was able to apply in advance to hold a talk at the KWS Science Slam.
Rim Gubaev, Scientist Traits & Genomics Sugarbeet and Cereals, took us into the sickbay of a sugarbeet. He explained where the pathogen for rubbery taproot disease (RTD) actually comes from. Cicadas act like taxis, transporting the microorganism from plant to plant (you can find more about RTD in this issue of insideKWS). This phytoplasma infiltrates the sugarbeet plant and attacks it from within. Rim is striving to gain a better understanding of the phytoplasma – so that it can be prevented from infecting our sugarbeet in the future.
The next talk took us from the laboratory to the field, with Lukas Leese, Manager Technical Innovation & Support, exploring the PUMA IV with us. A new generation of the sugarbeet lifter is on its way. This slam required audience participation: Together, we simulated harvesting a beet from the plot and then washing, weighing and examining it on the PUMA – luckily, Lukas stopped before we all slid into the shredder. Anyone who wanted to could take a look at the PUMA on the campus in Einbeck. Inside, there is a device that can extract information directly from sugarbeet without the need to transport them to a laboratory – but we don’t want to give too much away here! You can find more information on the PUMA IV in this issue of insideKWS.
“Preparing for the Science Slam was a lot of fun.”
Dennis Reckwell
And then things got eerie on stage: Dennis Reckwell – with a cape to match – recounted the misdeeds of Count Orobancula, namely the parasitic flowering plant broomrape (Orobanche cumana), the greatest threat to sunflowers in Europe, North Africa and China. Like a vampire, it sucks the sunflower dry until there’s almost nothing left. Even a stake through the heart of the flower is said to be ineffective – and herbicides also have little impact. A new solution was needed, in the form of Van Helianthus. This fearless vampire hunter is created from the genetic resources of wild sunflower variants. Through crossing and analyses, Dennis’ team is currently trying to identify resistance genes for broomrape. Then Van Helianthus can step into action and protect the sunflowers from Count Orobancula.
Everything hunky-dory? To help us recover from the count’s sinister deeds, Gina Wied, Head of Corporate Communications, took us on a journey into the world of idioms. These phrases are often not meant literally, but rather have a hidden meaning behind them. Anyone who becomes more fluent in a foreign language will inevitably encounter common idioms. However, deciphering them is often a challenge – so that no one can pull the wool over our eyes. “To spill the beans,” for example, dates back to an ancient Greek voting system in which colored beans were used to make decisions.
The participants showed how diverse science is – from diseases in sugarbeet to idioms to artificial intelligence.
Nataliia Rybchenko explained the symbolism of the sunflower for Ukraine. The plant is one of the country’s biggest exports.
Sunflowers: Part of the Ukrainian DNA
Nataliia Rybchenko, Product & Digital Marketing Manager, then took us back to sunflowers. In her native Ukraine, they are one of the most profitable crops and one of the country’s biggest exports. When Nataliia heard about the Science Slam for the first time, she thought: “This is my chance to tell a story that moves people.” So she brought along the documentary “Sunflower: Meanings That Seed the Future” that KWS Ukraine has created. Protagonists from various fields talk about their connection to the sunflower and why it’s a powerful symbol for Ukraine. “For some, the sunflower is just a plant – for us in Ukraine, it’s part of our DNA. The Science Slam was the perfect stage to convey this affinity to an audience.”
Bjoern Oest Hansen, Senior Research Lead Data Science & Analytics, joined online to talk about agents based on artificial intelligence (AI). The focus was on how we can use and configure these digital assistants ideally: Leveraging the benefits the different types of agents offer means people can save a lot of time in their daily work. This is because they can also interact as a team or use specific software to work on tasks, for example. The possibilities are virtually endless – and fears that AI agents will take over the world one day are pretty unfounded, said Bjoern with a twinkle in his eye.
With so many exciting slams, the choice was not easy – but the audience ultimately picked Dennis as the winner. “I had already thought about participating after the last two slams,” he said. “A Mystery Coffee was the deciding factor, and preparing the talk was a lot of fun.”
Max Koch from the University of Göttingen gave a guest talk hors concours. He became well-known this year with a paper on the sound of opening a beer bottle, which he also demonstrated live – an example of how diverse the choice of topics at a slam can be. |
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