On November 5, 2024, it was time again: the ZAL Science Slam brought an entertaining evening to the packed ZAL Auditorium. Five daring aerospace researchers presented their scientific topics – with humor, excitement, and a wink.

With 98 points, Jan Neuhoefer secured the title by impressing the audience with reinforcement learning and the question of how to balance a tray in a wobbly airplane cabin. But the other slammers also had a lot to offer. Cornelia Brühlhardt explained why AI models “eat themselves” if they don’t get fresh data to feed on. Florian Zager-Rode revealed the link between Star Trek and climate change, and Robert Langer clarified why waste separation applies to sandwich panels as well. Finally, Giovanni Patruno took on a topic familiar to us all: procrastination. But don’t worry, he managed to deliver his talk on time!

A big thank you to all participants and the audience for making this evening such a success. We’re already looking forward to the Science Slam 2025!