So many winners! Youth research competition concludes at Constructor University
Plants without soil, prostheses for animals, and a robot that helps hospital staff: 38 teams contributed a wide variety of projects and a whole lot of excitement. For the first time, Constructor University together with KUKA Assembly & Test hosted the youth science competition “Jugend forscht”. Seven winning teams were chosen in the regional competition in Bremen Nord.
“Turn questions into answers” was the motto of this year’s competition, in which adolescents competed in two age groups. In the group “Jugend forscht junior”, children and adolescents up to 14 years old competed against each other, while “Jugend forscht” called for aspiring young researchers between 15 and 21. In seven categories, they submitted their ideas to a jury for the final selection: Workplace, Biology, Chemistry, Geo and Spatial Sciences, Mathematics and IT, Physics, and Technology.
The competition’s debut at Constructor University was well received. Interested participants were able to tour the campus and get a firsthand impression of what it would be like to study and research at the international university. Contestants Fynn Bzik, Marvin Arthur, and Adam Atta, who emerged as winners in the biology competition, used some of the laboratories at Constructor University for their project on the impact of light pollution on plant growth.
With support like that, the competition turned out to be highly successful. “Supporting youth is what Jugend forscht is all about. And it’s what we achieved through the successful partnership with our new sponsors, Constructor University and KUKA, as well as many other local companies,” said Gabriele Breuer, leader of the regional competition Bremen Nord. “I’m very grateful for the hard work and the passion that all participants contributed to make our regional competition a success. But most of all, I’m proud of the amazing achievements of our young researchers and the support of their teachers and mentors. Together, they produced new knowledge and made a real impact on the world – through science. What better way is there to support young people and their future?”
With so many excellent participants, the jury didn’t have an easy job. In the end, five teams from five different schools prevailed in the junior competition. Sophie Herbich and Meria Bolte (Schule Schönebeck) won with “Glue from Food”, Maarten Busch (Oberschule an der Lerchenstraße) with “How to use a fuel cell to operate an engine”, Liam Wittmann (Oberschule an der Lerchenstraße) for “Growing Crystals”, Joy Joleen Mester (Grundschule Borchshöhe) for “The prevention of flooding through the use of a rain garden”, and Clemens Stitz, Benedict Menfeldowski, and Emil Rymarczyk (Grundschule Farge-Rekum, Grundschule Rönnebeck) for “TSV – The Hospital Bot.”
Among the older participants, the following teams emerged victorious: Fynn Bzik, Marvin Arthur, and Adam Atta (Bremen Schulzentrum Vegesack – Berufliche Schule für Metall- und Elektrotechnik) for their “Light pollution: does light harm plants?”, Klara Vogt (Oberschule Rockwinkel) for “The Physicks behind Kickboxing” and Per Garbrecht and Jonas Bunkowski (Bremen Oberschule Rockwinkel) for the “Development of a submersible with a bionic flagellum drive system.” In addition, several special prizes were awarded to other outstanding participants.
With around 250 primarily industry partners, “Jugend forscht” is the biggest public-private partnership of its kind in Germany. More than 5,000 teachers volunteer to support the competition, which has been running since its foundation in 1965. In Bremen Nord, the regional competition is headed by Gabriele Breuer, teacher at the Schulzentrum Vegesack. The winners of the regional round are now invited to enter their projects in the state competition. For “Jugend forscht junior”, that constitutes the final round. The older participants are able to qualify for the final competition on the federal level.
For more information (in German), please visit:
http://www.jufo-bremen.de