Science Talk with
What physical secrets lie within a simple soap bubble? And in what ways do we use foam structures in our everyday lives?
At the upcoming Science Talk on 15 October 2026 at phaeno Wolfsburg, physicist Dr Wiebke Drenckhan-Andreatta will take you on a fascinating journey into the world of liquid and solid foams.
In collaboration with the Volkswagen Group, you’ll discover how research into everyday phenomena can lead to genuine innovations in various fields such as the environment, medicine and industry.
Whether in shaving foam in cosmetics, in insulation materials in construction, or in the gentle cleaning of technical components: we encounter foams every day. Behind their seemingly simple beauty lies complex physics. For over two decades, Dr Wiebke Drenckhan-Andreatta has been conducting research at the renowned CNRS in Strasbourg into how bubbles form, why they burst and how they come together in an orderly fashion. In phaeno’s Science Theatre, she uses live experiments on a glowing LED screen to demonstrate up close the forces at work – an interactive experience for curious minds of all ages!
The researcher also demonstrates, even outside the laboratory, that complex science needn’t be dry at all: as a passionate illustrator, she creates her own books, comics and hands-on experiments. With her vivid drawings – some of which you can admire right here on our website – she finds it particularly easy to explain even abstract laws of nature in a visual and playful way to children and families.
At the Science Talk at phaeno, highly complex science won’t remain abstract, but will be presented in a way that’s understandable and accessible to you.
Take this opportunity to broaden your horizons beyond the traditional lecture format: questions from the audience are expressly encouraged, and you can put them directly to the expert or find out more during an informal discussion afterwards.
The Science Talk is organised in partnership with the Volkswagen Group and will be held in a hybrid format – both in person and as a live stream on YouTube – to make it accessible to a wider audience outside the region.
Thursday, 15 October 2026
at 6.30 pm, doors open at 6.15 pm
at the phaeno Science Theatre
To coincide with the Science Talk, from 10 to 25 October 2026, phaeno will be transformed into a dazzling world of experiments featuring giant soap bubbles, fascinating show effects and hands-on activities for the whole family.
Find out more about Bubblemania: BUBBLEMANIA during the autumn half-term holidays
Dr Wiebke Drenckhan-Andreatta studied physics and mathematics in Rostock, Berlin and New Zealand, and obtained her PhD at Trinity College Dublin.
Following research posts at the Université Paris-Sud, she now heads her own research group at the Institut Charles Sadron in Strasbourg as a research director at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS).
She has received prestigious awards
for her work at the interface between physics, materials science and industrial applications – including the CNRS Bronze Medal, the Henkel Research Award and two grants from the European Research Council (ERC). As an author and illustrator, she also regularly combines science with art.
