Women Leadership at Pint of Science – A Discussion with Juliane Meissner

Back in 2015 and 2016, I was a young paleontologist, suddenly getting a lot of media attention. I worked on a very unusual and exciting fossil, travelled to the US for field work and dove into talking to journalists – head first, no media training. Talking to strangers about your life, being a young woman researcher and your struggles can be so scary because what if you say something wrong or something that will be received the wrong way? I’m not going to lie, I was pretty guarded and quite reserved at first.

But then I met Juliane Meissner.

Juliane approached me to talk about my experiences as a woman in science and I immediately liked and trusted her. From 2015 (to 2018) she worked as a science journalist at a daily newspaper based in Berlin. This was a newspaper I had excellent experiences with in the past and my interview with Juliane solidified my good opinion of them. She asked insightful questions, showed incredible empathy and understanding for my views and struggles and was an overall lovely person to chat with over coffee and muffins. We stayed in contact for a while until she went to Japan in 2018 to gain unique experiences as a fellow an International Journalist programme in Japan.

A year later we met again when she returned to Berlin to join an NGO as a press officer and attended Pint of Science in May 2019. I recognized her right away in the crowd and told her I would love to have her on our team, which I was trying to expand at the time – Lucky for us she agreed! Since the moment she joined us, she enriched everybody’s lives with her support, her great ideas and her motivation to make Pint of Science as great as possible for the team and the attendees.

This year counts the second time that our worldwide science festival takes place online, which doesn’t makes work easier (Tipp: Read “Digital Pint of Science Germany“). However, Juliane took some time out of her busy schedule as Berlin city coordinator to answer my questions about being a woman in leadership.

When did you join Pint of Science  Germany? Did you always want to join a more informal outreach programme or was it a happy accident?

I joined the Pint of Science team in Berlin in 2019. After a few weeks in the team I stepped in Franziska’s footsteps and became the city coordinator for Berlin. Back then, I got to know a lot of amazing experimental formats of science communication out there – and I wanted to get involved. Luckily, I followed Franzi on Twitter and saw her tweet about expanding the Pint of Science team in Berlin. I thought: That’s it! So I joined the team and I’m still excited about the idea of Pint of Science, the events and of course all the engaged and passionate scicommers making this possible. 

What was it like to be a woman working in your field? Did you feel supported and challenged in a positive way? Did you have a network of people to reach out to?

I started my career in journalism quite early. I did a lot of internships at different newspapers, studied journalism and worked as a science editor for a daily newspaper in Berlin. I had the privilege to get to know a lot of amazing journalists who are very dedicated to their work. Almost all of them were very supportive, helpful and would let me realise my ideas. In the beginning of my career, it was quite challenging for me to get used to a rather competitive environment especially as a person of a younger age. For me it was helpful to share experiences with my (former) fellow students, and also to have some dear colleagues I talked to. I missed – that’s what I realised later – women as editors-in-chief and in higher up positions. It started at university, leading positions in my institute were held by men. And it continued with having almost just male editors-in-chief. I met amazing and smart female journalists who were head of departments but not in a leading role of the media outlet. 

Why do you think so many girls and women are still underrepresented in our area/scienc in general and professional field?

I think the debates we had about the visibility of girls and women in the past years led to more awareness, to debates and also to first steps into change – not just in the field of communications (where I’m currently working in) and journalism. But change needs time. Though there are many incredible women working in my area and their work is very much appreciated, it’s often men who are in leading positions. This is an aspect that has already been criticised in the past and needs to be addressed further. 

We are both pretty active in science communication, what are your least favorite and favorite things about working with the public?

Let’s start with my favourite things: I really like getting out of my bubble. For me it is so inspiring to meet people with different backgrounds, get to know their fields of interest, hear their questions about science and what kind of communication they use. It’s really amazing when people say after our events “I didn’t know that” or “I understood everything though I’m not a scientist”. Additionally, I really appreciate experimenting with new ways of approaching people and provide a platform for scientists and citizens to meet on an equal level. 

My least favourite thing came up with the pandemic: I really miss meeting and talking to people in person. Sure, during our digital events we create a welcoming atmosphere but of course it’s not the same as if we would meet our guests and scientists in person.

What are we going to do to combat existing and past forms of discrimination with the help of Pint of Science?

I think it is an important first step to think about events in a more inclusive way. It starts with looking for locations and if these are accessible for people with special needs, continues with approaching and advertising our talks to a broad audience, providing information in different languages and inviting speakers that represent the variety of our society. Additionally we are happy about ideas from our guests about what we can improve. I think awareness and keeping on being open-minded about new ideas are important components to make every person feel welcome and appreciated. 

What would you tell a little girl about the challenges and struggles (but also the positive things) in joining this path of a (scientist) journalist?

Always keep in mind: Your voice and your point of view are important. Make sure your voice is heard, a supportive network is really helpful here.

Becoming a journalist is a really inspiring, exciting and sometimes difficult path to choose. You need patience (especially with yourself), perseverance and the will to learn. It takes time to learn how to write articles, do interviews and how to do proper research. And there will be deadlines, stress and you have to prove to yourself and your colleagues what you are capable of. That’s why it is important that you have fun working as a journalist, that you trust yourself and your sense for good stories. Your perspective is needed – not just for your stories but for the whole media outlet. So, go ahead and become editor-in-chief!

Thank you so much for this insightful interview and all of your hard work and dedication, Juliane – we are lucky to have you as our fearless leader! If you want to learn more about our Pint of Science events in May 2021, check this out:

Since meeting Juliane, I have also been lucky to work with her on other exciting projects. Her podcast “Halbtrocken” is a great example of how she is using her curiosity and her energy to elevate scientists and their voices. Check it out here:

Find Juliane here:
Website
Twitter
Halbtrocken