In short
- Hetty Helsmoortel and Lieven Scheire will be presented with this year’s honorary degree for General Merit by UAntwerp.
- As science watchers, they make science news accessible and appealing to a wide audience, for example through Nerdland.
- They work closely with researchers and give them a voice.
- Strong science communication, they say, is mainly about a compelling story. How you tell that story is up to you.
On 20 March, science watchers Hetty Helsmoortel and Lieven Scheire will be presented with the honorary degree for General Merit by UAntwerp, in recognition of the enthusiastic and well-reasoned way they make science accessible to a wide audience. With the Nerdland podcast and science festival, as well as their own theatre shows, they put science news in the spotlight. They each apply a different focus in their work, but are in full agreement when it comes to the essence of strong science communication: ‘Above all, tell a compelling story!’
We meet Hetty Helsmoortel and Lieven Scheire on a snowy day in a coffee bar in Ghent. As soon as the wet coats are off and the steaming coffee cups are on the table, they look back on that surprising phone call from the university. Being approached for an honorary degree isn’t an everyday occurrence. What was going through their minds at the time? ‘Aren’t we too young?’ they say, as one. Helsmoortel explains: ‘The typical honorary doctor is a lot older than us and has a long research career behind them. So we really didn’t see this coming. Needless to say, we’re extremely honoured.’
The degree isn’t only a crowning achievement on a personal level, but also underlines the general importance of science communication: the art of communicating science news clearly and attractively to a wide audience. It’s great that the profession is receiving this kind of recognition, Scheire thinks, although this isn’t his motivation: ‘We got into this field this because we find it cool and fascinating ourselves, not for a higher social goal.’ Helsmoortel nods: ‘Passion and enthusiasm are what drives us. And these seem to be infectious!’
The future honorary doctors have already received a lot of great response. ‘I was half expecting criticism,’ confesses Scheire, ‘but I’m happy to report there was none of that. I even received congratulations from academics, who called it deserved.’ Helsmoortel: ‘I also received very nice emails. Including from people we ourselves look up to, like Frank Deboosere! Heartwarming.’
An honorary degree is of course different from an ordinary doctorate degree, which – incidentally – Helsmoortel also obtained, for her cancer research. ‘Writing a PhD thesis is hard work,’ she says. ‘This honorary degree, on the other hand, is being given to us.’ Scheire provides some nuance: ‘Of course, we’ve worked hard on our mission as well. But we haven’t done so with this degree in mind, like PhD students do. Rest assured: we’re certainly not saying the two types of doctorate degree are the same.’
Passion and enthusiasm are what drives us. And these seem to be infectious!
The winding path towards becoming a science watcher
A science watcher is someone who follows science news closely and then translates this to the general public in a clear way. But how does one actually become one? Neither Helsmoortel nor Scheire had this career in mind as eighteen-year-olds. Rather, they arrived at it by chance, each by following a unique and winding path. ‘I studied molecular biology,’ explains Helsmoortel. ‘After my master, I immediately continued with a PhD, but I got depressed. I decided to switch to drama studies, but didn’t really come into my own there either. Eventually I started a new PhD, which I finished, but I missed being able to tell stories. So in my final year, I entered a few science communication competitions, which I won. Amongst other things, that led to a screen test for the current affairs programme De afspraak – and then the ball started rolling.’ At first, she still combined her work as a science watcher with academic research. ‘I was a postdoctoral researcher and also engaged in various popular science projects. At a certain point, I realised that it was precisely those projects that gave me the most energy. That’s when I fully embraced this path.’
Scheire’s path also had some surprising twists and turns. ‘As a teenager, I hesitated between film studies and physics. In the end I chose the latter – a fantastic programme! It was also during my time as a student that I started doing stand-up comedy in pubs. That was so much fun. I decided to wait and see which path would be the first to present interesting opportunities: physics or comedy.’ The golden opportunity came in his final master year. ‘With our comedy ensemble Neveneffecten, we got a trial contract with production company Woestijnvis. I put my studies on hold to give my TV career a chance.’
And that career got off to a flying start. Initially, Scheire appeared on the tube purely as a comedian, with no scientific angle. ‘But behind the scenes, I was known as a science fanatic. For instance, I regularly emailed physics facts to other people at Woestijnvis. When the talk show De laatste show started a science segment, they asked me for the physics part. Soon I noticed that there really was an audience for this, which wasn’t sufficiently catered to.’ It was, in other words, a market niche.
Building confidence and success
Nowadays, Helsmoortel and Scheire are household names. They regularly comment on science news on radio and television, sell out theatres with their shows Missie 2024 and Artificiële intelligentie, and have teamed up as the driving force behind Nerdland. That project grew into a veritable universe for science lovers, including a popular podcast, several books and even an open-air festival. Helsmoortel found inspiration for this in the UK. ‘Science festivals have existed there for some time. I visited one for the first time a few years ago. It felt like coming home! I immediately thought: why don’t we have this? Belgium is a worldwide frontrunner when it comes to festival organisation and science. So I started having these very ambitious dreams and plans.’ Meanwhile, Nerdland Festival is already nearing its fourth edition. ‘And now the Brits are coming to us for inspiration,’ laughs Scheire. ‘None of their science festivals have the accessibility and atmosphere of Nerdland Festival.’
There’s no question these initiatives are successful, and the careers of Helsmoortel and Scheire are booming like never before. Nowadays, no one doubts their ability as science watchers – but they’ve spent years building that success and confidence. Helsmoortel says: ‘What makes our work credible is that it’s not merely about ourselves. Other people’s research comes up frequently. And we create our material not only about scientists, but also with them.’ Scheire agrees: ‘We always mention the researchers or companies in question and involve them as much as possible. That way we shine the spotlight on them – at our festival even in a literal sense.’
After years of hard work, everyone in Flanders knows exactly what they do and takes them seriously, Helsmoortel says. ‘Scientists also know that we don’t appear on chat shows to give academic talks, but to explain complex matters in a clear way. Although we still get emails from academics who want to provide finishing touches, such as nuances or terms we didn’t include in a popularised explanation. Sometimes they also send us corrections – we always do something with those, of course.’ Scheire notes that the public also has a strong opinion and expresses this: ‘Don’t underestimate what you expose yourself to when you talk about science in public. As soon as you appear in the media, you’re sure to receive feedback, some of which can be quite nasty. Unfortunately, I have often seen this discourage people from continuing.’
Storytelling
Both their solo and joint projects invariably contain a healthy dose of humour. ‘I got into that through Lieven,’ says Helsmoortel. ‘For me, humour is not an end in itself, but a good sauce to make scientific content accessible.’ ‘Back when I was performing pure comedy, humour was central,’ says Scheire, ‘but my view on things has changed. You don’t have to be funny all the time, but interesting all the time. That’s why I mainly try to say a lot of interesting things in my shows, with the occasional joke in between.’ Neither thinks humour is necessary for strong science communication. ‘I follow some popular science channels on YouTube,’ says Scheire. ‘Those people aren’t necessarily funny, but they’re all strong storytellers.’ Helsmoortel nods: ‘That’s what it’s all about: telling compelling stories! And that can be done in very different ways.’
You don’t have to be funny all the time, but interesting all the time.
Young researchers or science enthusiasts might feel intimidated by Scheire and Helsmoortel’s strong background as both scientists and performers. But they shouldn’t, the two future honorary doctors stress. ‘Follow your heart and your gut feeling,’ says Helsmoortel. ‘Do, try, experiment! And remember: your path isn’t fully mapped out yet. You can still go in so many directions.’ ‘And everyone can learn, at any level,’ adds Scheire. To conclude our conversation, he shares his most important tip for explaining research clearly: ‘Imagine you’re in a pub with friends. That’s when your storytelling is at its best. You feel at ease, you haven’t memorised a text, you spontaneously emphasise the spectacular aspects of your story... In science communication competitions, candidates often perform better during the question round than during their actual presentations. Anyone who wants to grow in this profession would therefore be advised to practise in an informal setting.’
Honorary degrees UAntwerp
Those wishing to learn even more from Helsmoortel and Scheire can register for their masterclass on 20 March. Later that day, the honorary degree will be conferred to them during the official ceremony.