The TUD Award for Excellent Science Communication was presented for the first time on May 15, 2025. With this award, Dresden University of Technology honors outstanding achievements by its scientists in communicating scientific content to a broad audience. The €2,500 prize for young scientists was awarded to Dr. Chiara Löffler and Dr. Hannah Muti for their podcast “Abendvisite”. Both are clinician scientists at the EKFZ for Digital Health in Prof. Jakob N. Kather’s research group and assistant physicians at Dresden University Hospital. “We are very grateful to the TU for its recognition, appreciation, and promotion of science communication. This sends a clear signal,” said Muti. “The award also shows that it is worth pursuing a project that is so close to your heart,” added Löffler. The laudatory speech was given by juror Beatrice Lugger, science communication consultant and former managing director of the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik). She particularly praised the podcast for making visible what otherwise tends to remain hidden—the daily challenges of the medical profession both on and off duty.
Chiara Löffler and Hannah Muti studied medicine together and are currently completing their specialist training in internal medicine and surgery at Dresden University Hospital. As young assistant doctors, they know the reality of everyday life in a hospital and the healthcare system firsthand. Like many of their colleagues, they face different challenges every day. They want to introduce young colleagues to inspiring role models who not only motivate them with their experience, but also address tough questions. Their conversations are meant to help promote dialogue between generations of medical professionals. Together with remarkable personalities and role models, they talk about the passion, challenges, and hopes that life and medicine bring. Their conversations create space for exchange, perspectives, and answers. Previous guests have included Prof. Dr. Volker Diehl, one of the world’s most renowned researchers in the field of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Prof. Dr. Harald Stein, a renowned pathologist who co-founded the international classification of malignant diseases of the lymphatic system and has been instrumental in advancing lymphoma research in Germany.
Prof. Simon Meier-Vieracker, Chair of Applied Linguistics, received the main prize endowed with EUR 5,000 for his exemplary and highly innovative communication of linguistic findings and phenomena on TikTok, particularly addressing young people. He prevailed in the competition with more than 20 submissions. Meier-Vieracker’s #LinguisTikTok videos get several million views per month. “It’s a fantastic recognition from my university for this commitment. The fact that the university is honoring this dedication, which was originally born out of pure joy of participating in science communication and has become the focus of my work with increasing success, is a great confirmation for me,” says laureat Meier-Vieracker.
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