Germany’s first science soap Sturm des Wissens (Storm of Knowledge) will be first presented in the main auditorium of the University of Rostock, Germany, on December 6th at 19:00. The main character, Nele Wagner, played by Anke Retzlaff (pictured), is gaining experience in hotel management after graduating from high school. However, after five episodes, which are full of intrigue, romance, and insights into the science scene, she decides to study physics.
The series is far from an information program, yet scientific facts, such as how a DNA sequencer works, are explained with additional on-screen texts and formulas.

Professor Uwe Freiherr von Lukas, Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, Rostock, had the idea of a science soap two years ago. From December 13th for a period of five weeks a new episode of ten minutes will be shown on the internet each week. The low-budget production costs about 110,000 EUR. The actors are mostly third year drama students from the University of Music and Theatre in Rostock and the main settings for the series are the Rostock Institute at the University and the Marine Science Center with its Seal Sanctuary.

Television companies found the series too weird and unusual. They want to see how it is received on the internet. The production of further episodes will also depend on its popularity.

^{Image: Nele Wagner, played by Anke Retzlaff © IT- und Medienzentrum der Universität Rostock}

• Liebe im Labor,
  Brigitte Osterath,
  Nachr. Chem. 2013, 12, 1225–1226.
  DOI: 10.1002/nadc.201390405

Watch the series Sturm des Wissens on the internet from 13th December till January 10th.

A teaser and the video of the making-of can be found at: www.youtube.de/user/rostock365