Johannes Kepler Universität Linz

06/16/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/16/2025 05:32

Interview with Kepler Awards Winner René Werner

René Werner recently received a Special Jury Award.

from left to right: Koch, Werner, Rami; Credits: JKU

He is one of three Special Jury Award winners of the newly established JKU Kepler Awards in Science Communications.

What is it that motivates you in your communications work in the field of sociology?
For one thing, I believe it is extremely important that young people learn to navigate information effectively in their everyday lives - of which social media plays a big part. Sociology can contribute to this with its understanding of how technology (AI, deepfakes, etc.) and society (the lived experience of teenagers and people in general, their socialization) interact. But I also want to give young people a chance to encounter scientific disciplines that are not part of the natural sciences.

Why do you believe this work is important?
It's important for two main reasons: to instill tomorrow's researchers with a passion for science and to strengthen trust in science - especially in times of increasing hostility towards science.

How do participants respond to your workshops?
In my experience, young people are willing to actively engage when you first discuss the fact that science is also an everyday activity and show them what the process of generating scientific facts actually looks like.

What kind of support do you receive from the JKU?
The fact that there is a team that is solely responsible for reaching out to and communicating with schools massively expands the reach of my workshops, helping me get to far more teenagers.

What are your hopes for the future of science?
I hope that science will regain its relevance and visibility in people's everyday lives. I believe this would make the important work scientists do every day more visible, but also enable individuals to participate in society more actively and in a way that is guided by science.

Profile:
René Werner (30) is a researcher in the Department of Sociology, specializing in Innovation and Digitalization. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, hiking and science fiction.

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