Martin Lercher
The Faculty of Biology invites everyone to the Christmas lecture to enjoy Science, Glühwein, and Cookies. This year, Martin Lercher will share views on creativity in science, an aspect of science that has been called Night Science by François Jacob. Martin Lercher is Chair of Computational Cell Biology at the Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf and models quantitatively the physiology and growth of biological cells and organisms. Together with Itai Yanai (New York University) he has explored scientific creativity in editorials (e.g. in Science and Nature Biotechnology) and the Night Science Podcast. In this successful podcast (4.9 rating and >330000 downloads) their guests have included people like Aviv Regev, George Church, Daniel Dennett, Isaac Newton, Alfred Russel Wallace, Daniel Kahneman or Victor Ambros. They also recently launched The Night Science Institute to make the process of idea generation more transparent, taught, and appreciated.
Abstract: The formal scientific method tells you how to rigorously and objectively test a hypothesis. But where do hypotheses come from in the first place? Posing fruitful new questions, generating ideas for novel hypotheses, and devising innovative experimental technologies all require scientific creativity. Compared to the executive “day science” process, the creative “Night Science” process requires a different mindset. It builds on a distinct set of thinking tools, such as an open mindset, anthropomorphic language, embracing contradictions, and importing ideas across fields.
Presented by: The Faculty of Biology and its Biomentoring program
Host: Wolfgang Enard
Martin Lercher
Professor of Computational Cell Biology in Düsseldorf, will discuss the hidden side of the scientific process – a theme he explores with Itai Yanai in their popular podcast Night Science.