Jacobs University promotes young MINT trainees from Northern Germany

31. January 2019

At the one-week MINTernational workshops in Physics and Chemistry at Jacobs University Bremen, local high school students gained insights into the work of a scientist - in English.

What will Ronja tell her classmates about the workshops when she returns to her school, the Gymnasium am Markt in Achim? "I will tell them that they missed a great opportunity. I learned a lot and definitely had fun. The workshop has helped me a lot." And Lena, also from the Gymnasium am Markt, adds: "Working in a real laboratory and having lessons in English makes a big difference to school. It was cool!”

The 33 high school students from Bremen, Lower Saxony and Hamburg gained a variety of impressions during the program. They deepened their knowledge of chemistry and physics, got to know new teaching methods and got a taste of student life. This sparked the appetite of many: "I will most probably study chemistry, but definitely a natural science," said Linda from Achim.

Especially the international "Teaching Tandems" were well received. "The lessons were very varied," said Timur. The tandems were each formed by a student from the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA and Jacobs University. "It was also a great experience for us. We experienced the students as very committed" says Conrad Goffinet, who came to Jacobs University together with Cindy Luo as part of MIT's Global Teaching Lab program. They were supported by Jacobs students Jaclyn Parris and Marco David.

In the background, Dr. Jürgen Fritz, Professor of Biophysics, and Dr. Ulrich Kortz, Professor of Chemistry, accompanied the workshops, which combined theoretical with practical aspects. The project was funded by MINT Forum Bremen, MINTec, a national excellence network of schools, and the Schütting Foundation. MINT is the German equivalent of STEM and stands for mathematics, informatics, natural sciences and technology.