"Learning slime" successful at the state competition "Schüler experimentieren

The work on learning slime received the prize for the best creative work as well as first prize in the biology category. Annika Seuring and Hendrik Ludwig (Rabanus-Maurus-Schule Fulda) used their study to investigate the extent to which unicellular slime molds react to stimuli even though they do not have a nervous system.

The winners of the other categories:

World of work: climate-neutral oxygen heating system (Jannis Müller, Lahntalschule Biedenkopf)
Chemistry: an improved ink killer (Emilia Wagner and Daria Schmich, Elisabethschule Marburg)
Earth and space sciences: Calculation of a chaotic multi-body problem (Johannes Deutschmann, Schülerforschungszentrum Nordhessen Kassel)
Mathematics/computer science: Sweet Dino, a game for the blind (Lilly Schwarz, Schülerforschungszentrum Nordhessen Kassel)
Physics: Jumping fluids (Alexander Arendt from Karl-Popper-Schule Frankfurt received 2nd place, no first place awarded)
Technology: Irrigation robot for roots (Liang Kuenzler, without school affiliation)

The state winner for the best interdisciplinary project was Noam Brede, Schülerforschungszentrum Nordhessen, with a paper on corona masks for wind instruments. There were also numerous special prizes.

After the cancellation in 2020 and a virtual competition in 2021, the state competition "Schüler experimentieren" was held again this year in Präsenz, once again at the Department of Electrical Engineering/Computer Science at the University of Kassel. A total of 39 students took part in 28 teams with projects on questions of their own choosing.They presented their results to a competition jury and designed a stand where they demonstrated their experiments. Winners were chosen in the categories of physics, mathematics/computer science, work environment, technology, chemistry, biology, and earth and space sciences.

State competition director Eva Kretzer was delighted with the competition: "I am very pleased that this year we are once again able to give our young scientists a platform to present their exciting and innovative research work. The range of topics is enormous. The personal exchange between the young researchers and with the expert juries cannot be adequately replaced by any digital format."

Prof. Dr. Axel Bangert, Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering/Computer Science, added: "On various levels, a competition like this gives us reason to rejoice. On a personal level, it's just fun to see how motivated the young researchers are to work on their topics and exchange ideas with each other. At the university level, it's nice to be able to welcome former competition participants to one of our degree programs later on. And on the economic and environmental level, it's reassuring to see that there are still many young people who are pursuing important STEM issues with great enthusiasm and without fear, in order to make a lasting difference for a better future."

The competition was generously supported by the sponsoring organization cdw Stiftung gGmbH and the sponsoring company Hübner GmbH & Co. KG.

Ingolf Cedra, Managing Director of the HÜBNER Group said, "Since its foundation in 1946, HÜBNER has been a company characterized by innovation and active in various markets. Inventiveness, creativity and perseverance in implementation are the main criteria for success and therefore always play a special role for us. Children and young people are the future. They see things with different eyes. How they deal with future-oriented issues and develop solutions for scientific and technical questions is therefore very relevant and enlightening for us as a technology company."

Thomas Flügge, Managing Director of the cdw Foundation, commented, "Encouraging curiosity and awakening the spirit of research, especially in young people, is a particular concern for us as a foundation. Especially under the difficult circumstances of the Corona pandemic, many things were not possible in the usual framework. That's why the participants deserve special recognition, as does the university as host; they did a great job under difficult conditions."

Press contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
www.uni-kassel.de