Science up close: MINT-Day at Jacobs University Bremen
March 26, 2019
How does a scientist actually work? Around 30 students from the greater Bremen area asked themselves this question and took part in Jacobs University's first MINT-Day. A great experience that sparked the interest in a scientific career for many.
In three workshops, students at higher secondary level were able to experience what everyday life at a university looks like. In the course "Small Models & Big Data in Biology and Medicine" the high school students learned, among other things, how to simulate a small brain with a 20-line computer code.
, Dr. Szymon Krupiński showed the students how to control one of the smallest underwater robots in the world (Source: Jacobs University)The workshop "Ocean Robots" was very interactive: together with their lecturer, Dr. Szymon Krupiński, the group was able to try out how to control one of the smallest underwater robots in the world. Krupiński finds it important to share his passion for marine robotics with interested students: “Who knows - maybe some of these young talents will become our work colleagues in a couple of years?"
The workshop "Robots & Humans" was also a success. In it, the group dealt with human-like robots, which they probably only had seen in science fiction movies until then. In addition to exciting technical insights, the students were able to get to know campus life at Jacobs University. Sarah Felsmann, computer science and English teacher at the European School S2 Utbremen, had registered her class for the MINT-Day: "We are always interested in students gaining experience in the field of computer science outside of school and knowing their possibilities after graduating. For this reason, she finds initiatives like the MINT-Day very good and emphasizes that "the opportunity to take a look at what happens at a university is of course a chance you usually don't get. We're happy to be here."
The 1st MINT-Day was organized by the MINTforum Bremen. The MINTforum Bremen networks the various providers of MINT activities in the state of Bremen with the aim of promoting MINT education in daycare centers and schools. The aim is to motivate young people to take up training or studies in this field.
MINT is the German equivalent of STEM and stands for mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology. It is important to encourage young people to get to know their career opportunities in these areas.