According to the United Nations, almost 30% of all researchers worldwide are women. At the same time, many women pioneers are
ignored in traditional historiography.
Based on this background, the 3rd salon talk organized by the Austrian Embassy in Berlin and Fraunhofer IPK Berlin has discussed the topic of “Women in Science – forgotten pioneers or future role models?” from a past and present perspective on October 14, 2021.
The salon had invited the Berlin artist collective AGOSTO with their new exhibition on forgotten women pioneers in science together with Dr. Nicole Amberg from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria in recognition for her work at The STEM fatale Initiative which aims to increase the visibility of women leaders in STEM.
The main aspects that were addressed by discussion host Martha Schillmöller were based on the fundamental questions: How can science and society increase the visibility of women in science? How can the role of women in science today be influenced by unraveling the stories of forgotten women scientists of the past? How can arts contribute to make their fates visible?
The panel discussion included one of AGOSTO’s 5 video installation pieces from the exhibition “Remembering Women in Science”. During the movie, narration and painting work together to illustrate the picture of a pioneering woman in science – on October 14, 2021, it was the picture of Anna Mani, Indian physicist and meteorologist and Deputy Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department. Anna Mani made several essential contributions to the field of meteorological instrumentation, conducted research and published numerous papers on solar radiation, ozone and wind energy measurements.
In the salon discussion, the AGOSTO artist collective was represented by painter Katharina Ziemke and historian & writer Dr. Joseph Pearson. Further members of the collective are actress & singer Ruth Rosenfeld as well as composer James Helgeson. AGOSTO’s upcoming exhibition “Remembering Women in Science” takes action in the history of memory by bringing attention to undocumented narratives of women in science through five video installation pieces at KURT-KURT GALERIE in Berlin from 25 November 2021.
About the Salon:
The event took place in the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin, which is spearheaded by director Dr. Denise Quistorp and an exceptional team of dedicated cultural experts. The salon was conceptualized by Dr.-Ing. Bertram Nickolay, founder and former head of the Machine Vision Department at Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionsanlagen und Kostruktionstechnik IPK) and a visionary catalyzer for cultural advancement.
Technology developed by Dr.-Ing. Nickolay had allowed for the automated virtual reconstruction of torn or shredded documents as well as otherwise damaged cultural assets - content that was previously believed to be lost. The ePuzzler technology was awarded with the EARTO European innovation prize in 2013. Dr.-Ing. Nickolay has further received numerous prestigious awards for his research activities, such as the “Honor Thaler” (Ehrentaler) of the Fraunhofer Society in 2019 and the “Strait of Magellan Award for Innovation and Exploration with Global Impact” by the Chilean government in 2021. With this award, Chile recognizes scientists who, through their research or actions, have contributed to finding solutions to global needs.
Dr.-Ing. Nickolay’s creative and innovative spirit to push boundaries in research have also translated to thrive for cultural advancement by bringing together scientists and artist to publicly discuss topics of high societal relevance. He has found a dedicated and enthusiastic partner in the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin directed by Dr. Denise Quistorp. The Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin aims to be a place for open encounters between people; a space in which important issues of culture and society can be addressed through language, education, arts and science. As such, the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin understands cultural work not as a one-sided message, but as an active exchange in which openness, critical thinking and the ability to discourse play a fundamental role.
Please find more information on the Austrian Cultural Forum Berlin and director Dr. Denise Quistorp, as well as Fraunhofer IPK and Dr.-Ing. Betram Nickolay including the first Salon discussion, and the AGOSTO artist collective under the following links:
Fraunhofer IPK Department for Machine Vision
First salon talk by the Austrian Embassy in Berlin and Fraunhofer IPK Berlin