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ImmunoKomm project teaches young people about scientific communication

Workshops with scientists and media experts to start in January 2023
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© Vienna Open Lab

(Vienna, 02 November 2022) The pandemic has brought the subjects of virology and immunology into public awareness. However, there is still a significant need for public information about the workings of the immune system and the effect of vaccinations. The new ImmunoKomm project developed by Nicole Boucheron from the Institute of Immunology at MedUni Vienna's Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology and the Open Science association is already making a start with adolescents. In addition to providing basic information on the subject, it is also teaching young people how they can communicate these complex issues themselves. The offer is aimed at students aged between 16 and 19 from Vienna and the surrounding area. Anyone who is interested has until 30 November to apply.

Our immune system is one of the most complex and highly researched systems in the human body. Information about the fundamentals of the immune system and how it works has become much more widespread since the emergence of Covid-19, coming either directly from experts or via the media and on social media. Anti-vax sentiments and the spread of fake news about the coronavirus are particularly prevalent in the younger target group, which is why the ImmunoKomm project has chosen this group as its starting point: scientific information is to be designed and communicated by young people for young people. Workshops and interactive sessions will give students an insight into journalistic work and professional communication from different perspectives, from traditional media to social media. The characteristics of target group-oriented communication will be developed together with experts from the media industry. The young people will then create their own contributions, such as TikTok videos or blog posts on immunological issues and content for their peer group. To do this, they will work closely with scientists from MedUni Vienna's Institute of Immunology. In the Vienna Open Lab, students can also conduct their own experiments and try out immunological methods.

Using immunology to awaken interest in science
The starting point for ImmunoKomm was a research paper written by Nicole Boucheron from MedUni Vienna's Institute of Immunology on the development and regulation of T helper cells, which play a key role in the production of antibodies and building of immunological memory. Boucheron believes that it is particularly important to educate the public at large about the immune system and how it functions and to ensure that people obtain their information from trustworthy sources. "ImmunoKomm aims to awaken young people's curiosity and interest in science, as well as to encourage critical questioning of communication on scientific subjects. Where does information come from and is a source really evidence-based? We are all increasingly required to confront this issue, but this approach is especially important for young people who are predominantly on social media," says project manager Nicole Boucheron. She has therefore enlisted the support of famous experts for the communications project: molecular biologist and "science buster" Martin Moder and ORF science journalist Lukas Wieselberg are designing the workshops on scientific communication for young people. Another partner is the Open Science association, which is offering its long-standing expertise in scientific communication in support of the project and is making the Vienna Open Lab available for immunology experiments.

Information and registration
The project is aimed at sixth-form students aged between 16 and 19 from Vienna and the surrounding area. There are 20 places available and these will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. The type of school is not a factor in the allocation of places. The workshops will take place outside school time on weekends between January and April 2023 and will last four to six hours. To register, contact Alexandra Schebesta: schebesta@openscience.or.at by 30 November 2022.