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Risk/Crisis communication and the search for extraterrestrial life: Workshop presentation by Dr. Andreas Schwarz at the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Extraterrestrial Studies (IFEX)

On March 17, the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Extraterrestrial Studies (IFEX ) at the University of Würzburg held a workshop entitled “SETI and the Consequences”. Several scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds such as engineering, astrobiology, sociology, psychology, and communication science discussed ongoing research and potential scenarios regarding the search for life on other planets including the possibility of intelligent life in the galaxy.

Dirk Schulze-Makuch, professor for planetary habitability and astrobiology at the Technical University Berlin, started the workshop with an overview on the current state of a science-based search for extraterrestrial life. From a social science perspective, Andreas Anton and Niklas Döbler explored different scenarios of discovering extraterrestrial life (signals, artefacts, actual contact) and their potential impact on human society. In this context, Andreas Schwarz, head of the Group for Research on Public Relations and Communication of Technology at TU Ilmenau presented his thoughts on developing a sub-discipline of exo-communications. One of the main questions he explored were the implications of potential first contact or artefact scenarios for risk and crisis communication of governments and civil society on earth. The facilitator of the workshop, Hakan Kayal, professor for Space Technology and Chair of the IFEX at the University of Würzburg, showcased his latest efforts on detecting anomalies within imagery related to SETI and UAP (‘unidentified aerial phenomena’). Further workshop participants were Professor Michael Bohlander from Durham University and Rüdiger Vaas who writes for the science magazine ‘Bild der Wissenschaft’.

Especially in the last years, the search for extraterrestrial life has gained substantial relevance across academic disciplines due to extensive research and missions of space exploration by organizations such as NASA, ESA, or the SETI Institute (e.g., Perseverance rover on Mars, James Webb Space Telescope) as well as the confirmed identification of more than 5000 planets outside our solar system. That this is a relevant issue for communication science was exemplified by the teaching cooperation between Andreas Schwarz at TU Ilmenau and the SETI Institute in California in 2021/2022. Recently, Dr. Schwarz has also joined the Germany-based Research Network Extraterrestrial Intelligence (www.eti-research.net).

Contact informartion:

Dr. Andreas Schwarz (andreas.schwarz@tu-ilmenau.de)

Further information:

IFEX: https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/ifex/startseite/

Research

We research various structural, content-related and social dimensions of strategic communication, including in the context of technology-oriented organizations. Our focus is on public relations & organizational communication, risk and crisis communication, communication with and about technologies, and international strategic communication.

ResearchTU Ilmenau
TeachingTU Ilmenau

Teaching

In the area of teaching, we deal as a field of expertise with the areas of public relations, crisis communication, international communication, communicator research as well as media change and social media.

Publications

PublicationsiStockphoto
  • Schwarz, A., Seeger, M., & Auer, C. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of international crisis communication research. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
    Schwarz, A., Schleicher, K., Srugies, A., & Rothenberger, L. (2017). Crisis communication of youth welfare offices in Germany: Findings on media coverage and strategic communication especially in the context of severe cases of child welfare endangerment. Ilmenau: Ilmenau University Press. 
    Schwarz, A. (2010). Crisis PR from a stakeholder perspective: The influence of attributions of cause and responsibility on organizational reputation. Wiesbaden: VS Verl. for the Social Sciences.

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Team

The research group for Public Relations and Communication of Technology has been led on an interim basis since 04/2023 by Prof. Dr. Martin Löffelholz. The team consists of Dr. Andreas Schwarz, Francis Alpers, Elisabeth U. Wagner-Olfermann, and Tatjana Faj. Melanie Waltinger currently supports as team assistant.

 
TeamAnLi Fotografie