Youth research at the BTU: PerspektivForum Career Paths "Hydrogen"

The Jugend forscht e. V. foundation is organizing the "Hydrogen" PerspektivForum Career Paths in close cooperation with the BTU at the Cottbus main campus. Participating are 40 Jugend forscht alumni from all over Germany who have already been successful at the state or regional level and have won at least first place in one of the regional competitions. They are students or trainees between the ages of 16 and 20. Four participants come from Luxembourg, which is the basis for the cooperation between the Stiftung Jugend forscht e. V. and the Fondation Jeunes Scientifiques Luxembourg (FJSL). The three-day event is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK).

The desire to make hydrogen the focus of the PerspektivForum Karrierewege  came from the Jugend forscht alumni themselves, and because of their expertise in the field of sustainable and environmentally friendly energy supply, the BTU was chosen as the venue.

Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Lars Röntzsch, head of the chair of Thermal Energy Technology and the Hydrogen Research Center at BTU, a multifaceted program with exciting insightrs  into reasearch application , studies and carreer development opportunities was created for the PerspektivForum Karrierewege "Hydrogen".

After keynote speeches by scientists, participants will get to know the BTU's modern hydrogen research center and hydrogen vehicle laboratory. A guided tour of the Cottbus center will also provide impressions of the technology under the pavement and show the ongoing transformation of the city. In three workshops on the subject of hydrogen, the Jugend forscht alumni will look at its production by electrolysis, its use in mobility, and the subject of infrastructure and economic viability. Experts from the BTU, Lausitzer Bergbau AG and the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Infrastructures and Geothermal Energy will impart their knowledge and be available as discussion partners.

Officers from the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Dornier Group will highlight career paths in Energy Economics. At the end of the PerspektivForum, the participants will present their workshop results in a plenary session.

Prof. Dr. Peer Schmidt, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, emphasizes: "Teaching young people about the challenges of the major issues of the future and awakening their enthusiasm for tackling them is a great thing, even for seasoned scientists*. The young people not only take away innovative ideas from the BTU on the topic of hydrogen in industry, Energy Economics and mobility, they are also part of a cross-generational scientific network."

"We are very pleased that the Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus is offering our alumni the opportunity to learn first-hand about current research in the hydrogen sector in an exchange with experts," says Dr. Nico Kock, board member of the Jugend forscht e. V. foundation.

Background:
The PerspektiveForen are an important part of the alumni support of Jugend forscht. Former participants of the competition are to be specifically funded and supported in their professional orientation. At the events, today's experts exchange ideas with tomorrow's experts on social challenges and future issues. In the spirit of networking, alumni also get the chance to make valuable contacts that they can use for their studies and careers.