"Bacteria on the menu": Pupils experiment at the University of Kassel

The winners of the seven Hessian regional "Schüler experimentieren" competitions have been announced and the University of Kassel is once again welcoming the 25 teams with a total of 49 young researchers to the state competition at its premises at Wilhelsmöher Allee 73.

"Schüler experimentieren" is a young talent competition in the field of engineering and natural sciences and, as a junior division of the "Jugend forscht" competition, is aimed at younger pupils from the 4th grade up to the age of 14. The Hesse state competition is organized every year by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering/Computer Science at the University of Kassel, under the direction of Prof. Dr.-Ing.

On Friday, March 15, the teams present their work in short presentations at the university, initially to members of the jury from the respective discipline. In "Schüler experimentieren", ideas and projects are developed in seven different subject areas: Working World, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics and Technology. The honorary jury members have proven expertise in their respective disciplines and come from the fields of school, industry and science.

Once again this year, the competing teams have tackled all kinds of exciting questions and topics. For example, one young researcher wondered whether used batteries are too good to throw away and a young researcher investigated which type of food dogs prefer to eat. One duo experimented with using phages (bacterial viruses) as an alternative to antibiotics against certain bacteria, while another worked on a cuddly bear for children with heart disease that uses AI to talk to them and report their medical data to their parents.

On Saturday, March 16, the teams will then present their projects to the general public. Interested parties can view the exhibited results from 12:30 - 14:30 at Wilhelmshöher Allee 73 and talk to the young researchers themselves. "We are very pleased that we are able to promote talented young people every year with the state competition at the University of Kassel and bring the STEM enthusiasm of these young participants to the public," emphasizes University President Prof. Dr. Ute Clement.

This will be followed on Saturday from 14:30 - 16:30 by the festive awards ceremony, which is also open to the public (lecture hall 1603). In addition to short greetings from the University President and the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Dirk Dahlhaus, the new Hessian Minister of Culture, Armin Schwarz, will also address a few words to the young researchers and the audience. City Councillor Hajo Schuy will also be attending the event. The award ceremony will be moderated by Dr. Sascha Ott.

"Schüler experimentieren" has been generously supported for years by the sponsoring organization cdw Stiftung gGmbH and the sponsoring company Hübner GmbH & Co KG.

You can find the full program here: https://www.uni-kassel.de/uni/aktuelles/veranstaltungskalender/jugend-forscht/schueler-experimentieren

Quotes

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Bangert, departmental representative for the state competition: "As every year, I am very pleased and surprised by the systematic approach and tenacity with which such young people repeatedly tackle new scientific and technical questions. I am absolutely certain that we need many more intrinsically motivated young people like this to find sustainable solutions to the many tasks that lie ahead of us - for example in the areas of energy supply or climate protection."

Eva Kretzer, head of the state competition: "The entries submitted show that the first-place winners of the Hessian regional competitions who qualified for the state competition have followed this year's motto 'Make up your mind' and have developed original and sustainable projects that testify to the great potential and creativity of young researchers. Their inspiring contributions are an important contribution to the further development of science and society."

Thomas Flügge, Managing Director of the cdw Foundation: "Encouraging curiosity and awakening the spirit of research in young people in particular is a particular concern of ours as a foundation. Ideas, new ways of thinking, enthusiastic teamwork and perseverance are youthful skills that need to be supported and preserved.
We are very grateful to the university as host for the way it has been promoting cooperation and exchange between participants within the competition for years and look forward to the outstanding work of the young researchers."

Ingolf Cedra, Managing Director of the HÜBNER Group: "HÜBNER has always been characterized by innovation. And children and young people see things with different eyes. How they deal with future-oriented issues and develop solutions for scientific and technical problems is very informative for us as a technology company. We are therefore delighted that the HÜBNER Group's affiliated foundation, Stiftung Hübner und Kennedy gGmbH, will be taking over our support for the 'Schüler experimentieren' competition from next year."

Contact:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Bangert
University of Kassel
FB Elektrotechnik/Informatik
Phone: +49 561 804-6366
E-mail: bangert[at]uni-kassel[dot]deorjugendforscht[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Ms. Eva Kretzer
State competition manager
E-mail: evakretzer[at]t-online[dot]de