From September 29 to October 1, 2017, the sixth edition of the Max Planck PhDnet conference “Visions in Science” will take place at the Harnack House in Berlin. PhDnet is the network of doctoral researchers within the Max Planck Society that aims to connect and educate them as well as to represent their interests towards the Max Planck Society and third parties. This year’s “Visions in Science” conference entitled “Discover New Perspectives” features a so-called “Science & Society Session,” made possible by the Schering Stiftung and consisting of two blocks. The first block will be about “Climate Change and Society,” while the second block will be devoted to “Open Science and Science Communication.”

The session “Climate & Society” with experts from the natural and social sciences as well as politics will highlight interactions between climate change and society. This session will allow the participants to engage in discussions on the highly complex interplay of climate, society, and governance.

The second session, “Open Science and Science Communication,” will take place with speakers from different fields of science, journalism, and projects that promote science communication. The aim of this session is to discuss what can be done to communicate and promote science better to the general public, especially in light of the growing public scepticism towards science and scientists, and point out the scientists’ role in this context.