Making the Case for Scientific Communication

The award winner surprised the audience with a very personal story about her motivations for studying chemistry (her father is a chemist) and then taking the path of science communicator after all. "At the dinner table, we never discussed politics, but rather chemistry. I only became political when I lived in the US and followed the Trump vs. Clinton election campaign. 'Alternative facts,' 'fake news' and the information crisis are my biggest concerns."

This is precisely why science communication should be established as a "prestige skill" and more researchers should be encouraged to compete "authentically and credibly" against "charlatans". Even though she was delighted to receive the Aachen Engineering Award, Nguyen-Kim was worried before the ceremony that "the jury would notice that I'm not an engineer," she joked. That's why she sees the award as an "appreciation of science communication."

An Inspiring Laudatory Speech

Science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar, who co-hosted the WDR science program "Quarks und Co" with Nguyen-Kim for some time, gave an inspiring laudatory speech for the award winner. Nguyen-Kim, he said, is a "real guide" who has the "authentic gift of questioning things with wit, sharpness, and competence." RWTH alumnus Yogeshwar explained, "Unlike talk shows, where people tend to discuss things that they do not really understand, Mai-Thi conveys real information in her videos."

However, Yogeshwar also pointed out that Nguyen-Kim's award is really based on her own achievements: "The insider language and jargon of scientists places a dividing wall between them and the public. Even within science, it is beneficial if you can explain things in an understandable way. But you have to learn that, preferably while you are studying."

Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim began her career as a science communicator with the YouTube channel "maiLab," which the former RWTH chemistry doctoral candidate opened in 2016. What started as an experiment – a young doctoral candidate talking about science online – was to make Nguyen-Kim the best-known science communicator of the social media generation. Whether it's a science experiment or conspiracy theory-related Covid denial, there's no scientific topic that the newly honored award winner will not take up. As a presenter of "Quarks und Co" and "TerraX," she became known to a broad audience outside of social media. Since fall 2021, Nguyen-Kim has been hosting her own science show "MAITHINK X – Die Show" on ZDFneo. She has also written two books, "Komisch alles chemisch" (Isn't it Strange? – Everything is Chemical) and "Die kleinste gemeinsame Wirklichkeit" (The Smallest Common Reality), which landed her at the top of the bestseller lists.

A Commitment to Good Science Communication

The presentation of the Aachen Engineering Award to Dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim can be seen a clear commitment to good science communication. "The University is a significant part of the city, and we want to be part of it. RWTH can contribute to the solutions in these special times, marked as they are by crises," noted Professor Ulrich Rüdiger, Rector of RWTH Aachen University. For Mayor Keupen, too, the city and science belong closely together: "If people don't understand each other, they can't work effectively together."

Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, used the Aachen Engineering Award to thank Nguyen-Kim for her video "Covid-19 is just getting started" from spring 2020. At the time, the minister was still the CEO of a company and used the video, which has been clicked on 6.6 million times to date, to inform her employees about the pandemic: "I am glad that I can thank you tonight for this video. It takes scientists like you to get young people excited about science and research," the minister said. Volker Kefer, President of the Association of German Engineers (VDI), emphasized, "What you do, soundly communicating complex issues, is extremely important. If we didn't have you, we would have to invent you."

– Linda Plesch