Press release by Norbert Krupp
Bad Kreuznach. 31 teams of young researchers took part with their projects in the 61st regional competition of “Jugend forscht”, which was held for the first time at the premises of Allit AG Kunststofftechnik in Bad Kreuznach. The highlights followed in the evening at the Kurhaus with the announcement of the results and the award ceremony for the researchers, who are now eligible to take part in the state competition of “Jugend forscht”. This will be held from 17 to 19 March at BASF in Ludwigshafen and from 23 to 24 April at Boehringer Ingelheim.
In the “Jugend forscht junior” category, which is open to pupils aged 14 and under, the 24-member jury selected the following winners: In the “Working World” category, Leo Weinand (14) and Samuel Kochan (13) from Herzog-Johann-Gymnasium in Simmern impressed with a 3D visualisation of the school’s own rainwater storage tank. Flora Weinmann (10) and Mia Becker (12) from the Gymnasium an der Stadtmauer in Bad Kreuznach impressed in the “Biology” category with their ECO-Ball, a biodegradable bouncing ball made from psyllium husks. Julian Ellenberger (12) and Zoe Wingenter (11) from the IGS Kandel analysed a physical phenomenon using a string and a cup in the subject ‘Physics’. Amalia Busch (13) and Max Pirotte (14) from the Regino-Gymnasium in Prüm carried out photometric investigations of indicator dyes in the subject of ‘Chemistry’. Isabell Simon (14) from the Hildegardisschule in Bingen was awarded a prize in the subject of ‘Technology’ for the glass bottle sorter she developed.
In the “Jugend forscht” category for young people aged between 15 and 21, three projects took the top prizes: Jonathan Kammerlander (15) and his brother Leopold Kammerlander (12) from the Max-von-Laue-Gymnasium in Koblenz presented a smoke alarm capable of reliably waking even children who are fast asleep, in the “Working World” category. Valeria Foggia (15) and Jana Brantzen (14) from the Maria-Ward-Schule in Mainz demonstrated how to remove microplastics from water in the “Chemistry” category. In the subject ‘Mathematics/Computer Science’, Alexander Steinbrück (18) from the Europa-Gymnasium Wörth am Rhein perfected an app for attendance tracking and a programme for classroom management.
“Wow, what an interesting day we’ve had today. We’ve been very impressed by your thirst for knowledge, your perseverance, your consistency and your stamina,” said Jochen Kallinowsky, who acted as host in his capacity as CEO of the partner company Allit AG Kunststofftechnik. He thanked Director of Studies Hellen Ossmann, who has been organising and leading the regional competition for 26 years, as well as Mario Heim, who, as project manager at Allit AG, organised the competition within the company with the help of many volunteers. Kallinowsky also expressed his gratitude to the 24 judges and all the teachers supervising the pupils – coupled with the hope that research teams from other schools will also take part in next year’s regional competition to promote interest in STEM subjects. This year, the Gymnasium an der Stadtmauer was the only school from the Bad Kreuznach district to take part – but with no fewer than six projects! In addition, his vocal ensemble “Stama Cantat”, conducted by Tobias Theisen, provided the musical accompaniment for the ceremony.
“Let us be wary of politicians who make decisions over the heads of the scientific community and dictate what the truth is. But the truth lies in what you discover and produce through scientific knowledge,” stated Dr Walther Neussel, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Allit AG, who was delighted by the participants’ spirit of inquiry: “Optimism in young people – it’s alive and well!” Neussel had suggested that the company sponsor the competition.
Mayor Emanuel Letz, Deputy District Administrator Andrea Silvestri and Anna Helbling from the Jugend forscht e.V. foundation in Hamburg were also delighted that the regional competition was being held in Bad Kreuznach. Thomas Barth, District Administrator of the Mainz-Bingen district, conveyed his congratulations via a video message.
