Today, it is more important than ever to enthuse young people for natural sciences and engineering. This exactly is the objective of the Energy Science Camp that will take place at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) from September 7 to 11. Twenty young people aged between 13 and 16 will conduct own research for a week and study the question of what future energy supply may be like. The KIT House of Competence (HoC) organizes the Science Camp in cooperation with the Schülerakademie Karlsruhe e.V. (Karlsruhe Pupils’ Academy).
At the Science Camp, the young participants will collect information on the various types of energy generation and supply by building models and interviewing experts from research and industry. The program will comprise the construction of a water wheel with KIT hydraulic engineers and an excursion relating to electricity production from water power. The Camp’s principle is research-oriented and self-controlled learning, with several didactic approaches being pursued. Apart from the expert input, the young people are given the opportunity to independently work on defined tasks and small projects and let their imagination run.
On Friday, September 11, 15.15 hrs, Professor Detlef Löhe, Vice-President for Research at Universität Karlsruhe, Dr. Peter Gilbert, President of the Schülerakademie Karlsruhe, Daniel Weichsel, Director of the HoC Remote Studies Center, and participants of the Science Camp will report about the concept, objectives, and results of the project at a press conference at HoC (Straße am Forum 3, building 30.96). Representatives of the media are cordially invited. Following the press conference, the young people will present their results to their parents, families, and friends as well as to the interested public during a closing event at 16 hrs. This closing event will take place at the Plank-Hörsaal (Engler-Bunte-Ring 21, building 40.32). Posters of the individual projects and various models constructed during the Science Camp will be presented at an exhibition.
The House of Competence (HoC) is the central institution for competence development and advanced training at KIT. The advanced training spectrum also includes special offers to pupils. The project is organized by the Remote Studies Center Karlsruhe (FSZ), one of the facilities of the HoC. The FSZ coordinates virtual learning at KIT and is highly experienced in the preparation of studies as well as in the training of teachers for the subject of “Natural Science and Engineering”. The Science Camp is part of the offers made by the Schülerakademie Karlsruhe e.V. This association promotes cooperation among research institutions, universities, industry, and schools in order to support young people talented in natural sciences and engineering in the region of Karlsruhe. The Science Camp has been supported additionally by other institutions in the region of Karlsruhe, including EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg, the customer support unit of the Stadtwerke Karlsruhe, Volksbank Karlsruhe, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI).
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.