My path from animal research to lighting

I have been fascinated by nature and science since early age. I wanted to know how things work and what happens inside organisms. Some of my knowledge came from books and TV, but I also wanted to observe and experience myself. I wanted to work with animals, travel to distant jungles, and meet interesting people. And I wanted to help protect our environment.

Research for and with animals

There have been some obstacles in my way. Physics seemed inaccessible because it was barricaded behind formulas. Questions that did not fit into my teachers’ scheme were ignored or laughed at. But when I started to study biology, I realized that many things were easier if you focused on processes rather than formulas. I enjoyed research, I traveled to fascinating places and got up close and personal with some animals.

For many years I worked in zoos. Getting into close contact with exotic animals was fascinating. To improve husbandry, I spent several years researching methods to evaluate their well-being and to develop improvements in their care and daily routine. This work started at the University Frankfurt in the NCR research group of Günther and Gerta Fleissner. My PhD on koalas on koalas not only led me to the Zoos in Vienna and Duisburg, but also to Taronga Zoo in Sydney. In my free ime, I used every chance to work with the zoo keeper, give tours, and help with administration.

2008 I started a post-doc at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, where, in cooperation with the company Vectronic Aerospace, I developed an analysis software for activity sensors. At the institute, I also did field research, mostly on red deer, while my students did zoo projects on giant pandas, sand cats, koalas, Indian rhinoceroses, rock hyraxes and lowland tapirs at the zoos in Vienna and Osnabrück.

Spot on light pollution and better lighting!

My career in science communication wasn’t really planned. I had done some stuff during my PhD, and I had always liked to talk and write about science. Then I got a job at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin as communication coordinator for the Loss of the Night research project on light pollution. Suddenly my horizon widened. Not only did I get to work about biology, but on physics, astronomy, technology, urban planning, public safety, culture, and many more aspects. I seized the opportunity and started a life as lecturer, author, and consultant.

No matter what age or knowledge, I want to open people’s mind for science and motivate them to learn new things. An important part of my work is to give new impulses on how to raise our quality of life and how to conserve our environment.

Science Communication from the Heart

I am motivated by many things: I enjoy explaining things to people, especially if they are new to them or if they have troubles to understand. Sometimes I can help people who suffer from artificial light. And last but not least there is a very personal motivation, my two children Benjamin and Viviane, who teach me that even complicated things can be explained and whose future I want to protect, because science and good communication are vital for a high quality of life.

Working with children

Children are amazing. They see our world with different eyes and lack most the preassumptions we collect in our lifes. Children want to know things – even if they are good at hiding this. They want to explore the world, understand it, and change it. This is something I’ve already learnt in my time as zoo guide, but as a mother I experience it every day. Therefore, I’m always excited to have projects with children.

In 2023, my children convinced me to create a board game on light pollution to teach their friends and classmates. By now, it is available in 13 languages, and I hope that this is only the beginning of many creative and funny projects with young people.