(Darmstadt) Whoever wants to join in does not have to be another Einstein, just have a passion for researching, inventing and experimenting. Young scientists are encouraged to accept the challenge and come up with their own research project. It is in this vein that the slogan for this year’s “Jugend forscht” regional competition is “Ask yourself!” Have the courage to ask yourself! Look for the answers to your questions yourself and show what you can do. Not only is it fun, it also helps you move forward.

For the last 12 years, the Fraunhofer institutes in Darmstadt, the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD, the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT have been sponsoring the youth competition and, as in previous years, this year’s event will be held at Fraunhofer IGD and hosted by Dr. Paul Schlöder, a biology and chemistry teacher at Dreieichschule high school in Langen, and Stefan Daun, head of quality assurance at Fraunhofer IGD. An address at the opening ceremony will be given by the mayor of Darmstadt, Jochen Partsch, followed by the keynote speech by Christoph Kröll from ATG Europe for ESA (European Space Agency).

Participants in the South Hessen Regional Competition will compete in two divisions, “Youth Researching” (ages 15 to 21) and “Students Experimenting” (4th grade to age 14). The number of participants has grown each year, with 73 students presenting 35 different projects this year for a new record for the competition held at Fraunhofer IGD. The young scientists will vie for recognition of their projects in the areas of work environments, biology, chemistry, earth science, geography, mathematics/computer science, physics and technology.

“Student competitions like ‘Jugend forscht’ play an important role in shaping future STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] education. As part of a stringent, coordinated program to promote STEM along the entire education chain mathematics, they are a core component,” said Dr. Sven Baszio, executive chairman of the foundation Stiftung Jugend forscht e. V.

The competition is held nationwide and consists of three rounds. The first round is the regional competition, where the victors qualify for their local state competition. Whoever is interested in the young scientists’ creative ideas is cordially invited to a public presentation at Fraunhofer IGD on February 21, 2019 starting at 2:00 PM. The best from each state will then go toe-to-toe in the final round, the national competition.

Program

2:00–3:30 PM             Public presentation of the projects

3:30–4:00 PM             Pre-ceremony reception

4:00–6:00 PM             Ceremony with live music

6:00 PM                      Conclusion