Heiko Schmidt wins the Wilhelmshaven Science Slam!

In recent years, it has become something of a tradition for the NWDUG e.V. to regularly organise science slams at the Pumpwerk in Wilhelmshaven. At these events, scientists of research institutions based in Wilhelmshaven and neighboring cities present their research from a wide variety of fields to a broad audience. Participants have only ten minutes to present their topic in an entertaining and accessible way. Accordingly, creativity, humor, and interaction with the audience are strongly encouraged. On September 25, 2026, it was that time again, and the sold-out Pumpwerk was transformed into a venue filled with exciting experiments, fascinating research findings, and captivating stories from the world of science. Representatives included the Institute for Avian Research, the Lower Saxony Institute for Historical Coastal Research, and Jade University in Wilhelmshaven; the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems in Bremerhaven; and the ForWind Institute and the Department of Health Services Research, both based at the University of Oldenburg. The audience at the sold-out Pumpwerk enjoyed Heiko Schmidt’s presentation the most. Schmidt, who had just defended his master’s thesis and started a doctoral position at the NIhK, provided insight into his paleoecological research with his presentation titled “About Holes in the Geest—and What They Tell Us.” In his presentation, he vividly illustrated what insights can be gained from pollen analysis and sedimentology regarding the landscape development of northwestern Germany over the past 10,000 years, and what conclusions pollen grains allow us to draw about landscape and climate development.