"Brainwave-controlled gaming": Jugend forscht junior at the University of Kassel

"Life under gravity", "Brainwave-controlled gaming" or "Plastic made from milk protein" - these are the topics that pupils from all over Hesse are exploring in the state competition of Jugend forscht junior. Under the motto "Maximum Perspective", the winners of the regional competitions will present their research results at the University of Kassel in Wilhelmshöher Allee. On March 20, they will first present their projects to a jury of experts and on March 21 from 12:30 p.m. to the public.

Last year, Lina Bousakri (left) and Maja Coco Jäckel received the prize for the best creative work as well as the state prize in the Biology discipline for their project on healthy gummy bears.

The winners in the "Jugend forscht junior" age category of the seven Hessian regional competitions have been announced, and the University of Kassel welcomes the 37 teams with a total of 66 young researchers to the state competition on its premises in the former engineering school.

"Jugend forscht junior" (formerly: "Schüler experimentieren") is a competition for young researchers in the fields of Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences and Technology (MINT) and is aimed at younger students from the 4th grade to the age of 14 as the junior division of the "Jugend forscht" competition. 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 20, the teams first present their work in short presentations to the jurors of the respective discipline at the university. In "Jugend forscht", ideas and projects are developed in seven different subject areas: Working World, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics as well as Technology. The 23 honorary jury members have proven expertise in their respective disciplines and come from the fields of schools, industry and science.

This year, the participating teams are once again tackling diverse and exciting issues. For example, one duo is investigating the question of how bacteria can be combated by natural means. One young researcher is developing a note database for existing AI systems that only transfers relevant information to the model, thereby improving performance. Another young researcher is taking a closer look at the myth of universal colors and analyzing how chemical polarity influences the solubility of food colors. Another team has investigated how smart liquids can be used as metamorphic shock absorbers in cars and is carrying out tests with a remote-controlled car.

On Saturday, March 21, the teams will present their projects to the general public. Interested parties can view the results on display from 12:30 - 14:30 at Wilhelmshöher Allee 73 and talk to the young researchers themselves. This will be followed on Saturday from 14:30 - 16:30 by the awards ceremony in lecture hall 1603, which is also open to the public. In addition to short greetings from the Vice President of the University, Prof. Dr. René Matzdorf, and the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Dr. Dirk Dahlhaus, Armin Schwarz, Minister of State for Culture, Education and Opportunities, as well as Timon Gremmels, Hessian Minister for Science and Research, Art and Culture, and the Mayor of Kassel, Dr. Sven Schoeller, will also address a few words to the young researchers and the audience. The award ceremony will be moderated by Dr. Sascha Ott.

The Hessian state competition "Jugend forscht junior" is generously supported by the sponsoring institutions cdw Stiftung gGmbH and Stiftung Hübner und Kennedy gemeinnützige GmbH.

You can find the complete program here:

www.uni-kassel.de/go/jugend-forscht-junior

Quotes

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Bangert, departmental representative for the state competition: "Here we have gathered the "Hessian mineral resources of the future" in a very small space. The young researchers have achieved impressive results and presented them very well and comprehensibly. At the same time, they are also STEM ambassadors in their year groups who can inspire others, take away their fear of STEM subjects and awaken their enthusiasm for scientific and technical issues. This is exactly what we need to remain competitive in the future."

Eva Kretzer, Head of the state competition: "This year's motto 'Maximum Perspective' symbolizes the enormous potential that young people have in the STEM field. The fact that we have more participants and projects this year than ever before is a strong signal for the innovative strength of our young scientists. Jugend forscht junior creates spaces at an early stage in which curiosity is encouraged and future-relevant skills are developed. In this way, we are making an important contribution to the sustainable strengthening of education, research and innovation."

Contact:

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Bangert
University of Kassel
Department of Electrical Engineering/Computer Science
Phone: +49 561 804-6366
Email: jugendforscht[at]uni-kassel[dot]de

Ms. Eva Kretze
State Competition Director
E-mail: wl.jugend-forscht-junior-hes[at]wv.jugend-forscht[dot]de