Explaining science - including sensitive topics

How does one become a scientist in the first place? How is an experiment conducted? What does one do when something doesn’t work out (which can often happen)? What is the dress code for a scientific conference? 

In 2016, Stina Börchers launched a kind of degree course diary on Instagram to answer these and similar questions. “It was a good way for me to show my family and friends what I was doing on my course.” 

Soon after she was also motivated to continue by another aspect: because Börchers was the first person in her family to go to university, those close to her had little contact with the world of science. She wants to encourage young people - especially young women who might perhaps worry that they would feel out of place in science.  Börchers wanted to do something about this “and show how international science is and that a woman most certainly can be successful in science.” 

Börchers’ subject is neurobiology. She began her studies in Germany, at the University of Bremen. She is now conducting research at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and has successfully defended her doctoral thesis. Her specialist field involves determining how our eating habits are controlled by the brain, what role in this is played by our hormones and which gender-specific differences there are. Börchers is keen to explain science as transparently as possible. For example, she believes that reporting on the alleged miracle weight-loss drug Ozempic is far too one-sided. “What many people don’t know is that the drug is used above all by young women. And they are precisely the ones who most frequently report side effects such as depressive moods or anxiety disorders.“ Recently she and her research group leader published a paper on the subject. 

The most important thing for her is to build up trust in her posts. “It must be clear that the comments are being made by someone on the basis of scientific facts, and that the information is reliable.” She often specifically seeks out trends on Instagram and TikTok where she can use her expertise to provide some additional context.  What can one believe? Where should one be critical?  

Help with sensitive topics 

She now has thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok. “Many are school students who are curious about a career as a researcher, and some are other doctoral candidates, but at least a third of them have nothing whatsoever to do with science.” 

Alongside her research, Börchers also works as a lecturer at Germany’s National Institute for Science Communication (NwWik). In her seminars she develops individual communication strategies, especially for social media. She encourages researchers to be visible - even in controversial fields. And she recommends: “When dealing with sensitive topics in particular, it is important to network and engage in exchange.”