nanoTalks: Cloudy with a chance of science art: communicating data

In today’s data-driven world, seeing really is believing. One of the easiest ways to understand our world through data is through visual representations. However, creating helpful visualizations from complex data is not an easy task. From climatological data that can tell us what the climate was like and is going to be like in the future to fun ways of understanding chemistry, our speakers Dr. Simon Scherrer (MeteoSwiss) and Chrysa Chouliara (freelance visual communicator and Visual Communication Specialist at ETH Zürich) will explain how they use data visualization to help bring data and scientific concepts to the public.

30.05.2024, 18:30- 20:00

PBLabs RZ, am D-Stock vom RZ Gebäude in ETH Zentrum Clausiusstrasse 59, 8006 Zürich

max. 40

Talk 1: Visualizing climate data for the public

Presented by Dr. Simon Scherrer, Climatologist at MeteoSwiss and Lecturer at ETH Zürich

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. However, «climate» is an abstract term for most of the public, and changes are often small and hidden by variability. In his talk, Simon Scherrer will show how climate data can be visualised in an attractive way for the public using graphics and animations. He will outline some principles for presenting climate data to the public and share his experiences as a climate scientist, data visualiser and climate communicator.

Talk 2: BECOMING NATURE'S COVER BAND: The Artistic Odyssey of a Curious Explorer

Presented by Chrysa Chouliara, Freelance Artist and Visual Communication Consultant for the Crowther Lab at ETH Zürich

Throughout history, artists have drawn inspiration from the wonders of nature. However, stepping into the realm of visual scientific communication elevates this relationship to a new level; it's akin to becoming «Nature's Cover Band». Transitioning from a carefree artist to an amateur researcher, one delves into the depths of scientific literature, scouring libraries for the perfect imagery, devouring publications, with the voracity of a night owl, and slowly but steadily falling in love with science.

Image Sources:

1: image of Simon Scherrer
2: image of Chrysa Chouliara