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Mineralogist Robert Krickl has won the Austrian FameLab competition with content, clarity and charisma. He impressed both jury and audience with his presentation on 'cooking zeolith stones', a special type of mineral which can store water in its internal miniscule channels. When heating these minerals the water starts to boil and it looks as if the whole stone is cooking. But actually it is the cooling effect of the vapourising liquid which is being used commercially. The audience was most intrigued to hear about one specific practical outcome: a self-cooling beer-barrel. Those who were quick enough even had the chance to drink a glass of beer from a barrel after the final.
The Austrian minister for Science and Research, Johannes Hahn, presented the prize, commenting that to him, Krickl is not only the new face but also the new voice of science. Our FameLab winner has also represented Austria at the international FameLab round at the Cheltenham Science Festival which ran from 6-10 June 2007.
Krickl studied Earth Sciences at the University of Vienna, he is currently working on his doctoral thesis on 'Changes in minerals through external radiation'.
Watch the movie of the talk (wmv)
Download finalists' CVs
Krickl also won an IPod for the best online audio file. Each finalist recorded a 99-second-long audio file during the Masterclass weekend on one of the following two topics:
- What is time?
- Why does the Earth revolve?
The sound recordings were then put up for an online vote on the ORF's science channel website. Listen to the sound files
While the jury had a really hard time deciding on the winner, the audience elected their own favourite finalist by acclamation. About 400 people came to the Technisches Museum in Vienna to experience the first Austrian FameLab competition.
Pamela Burger, a vet and geneticist, who started her talk with the famous line 'To be or not be ...' got the loudest applause and won a hamper filled with British specialities. Burger focused her talk on the genetic importance of saving the last two-humped wild camels and brought along a camel's skull for demonstration purposes.
Five leading figures from the world of science and media in Austria gave feedback on the talks and rated them by the 3 criteria: content, clarity and charisma.
Martin Bernhofer, ORF Radio (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation)
Christoph Kratky, Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Günther Mayr, ORF
Julia Petschinka, Austrian Research Centre (ARC)
Gabriele Zuna-Kratky, Technisches Museum Vienna
Read more about the judges
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