Young people from three countries develop product ideas

From October 18 to 22, 2022, the 23 high school students at the BTU's central campus in Cottbus will be focusing on the topic of "cell phones. They have traveled from Cottbus, Essen, Forst Heilbronn, Istanbul, Cologne, Meppen, Munich, Rüsselsheim, Sofia and Ulm, for example. Prof. Dr. Sabine Weiß welcomed the students to the BTU's mechanical engineering program. The international participants were also warmly welcomed by Anke Meißner from the University's International Relations Office.

In four groups, the young people discuss which products they are missing in connection with cell phones. They develop ideas for their production, work out possible production routes up to prototypes. Among them are a display that can be replaced quickly and by themselves and a cell phone case with a power bank and holder for multifunctional tools.

The BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and the national excellence school network MINT-EC are jointly organizing the camp. BTU scientists under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Ralf Woll, Prof. Dr. Sylvio Simon Simon and Prof. Dr. Klaus Höschler have prepared the program for the MINT-EC camp.

With topics such as "The phases of product design" or "Market exploration", with the presentation of metallic manufacturing processes and plastics processes and other contents, the MINT-EC-Camp on the focus of mechanical engineeringconveys the basics for solving the challenging tasks. Methods of artificial intelligence, automated production methods and digitalization as well as an experimental physics lecture round off the program. A lecture by the head of the program, Prof. Simon, highlights the content and opportunities of studying mechanical engineering at BTU, and a company visit to STYLE WORK inCottbus shows how innovative products are created in practice.

"I enjoy working with 23 committed and motivated participants, and there are already some surprising results," emphasizes Prof. Ralf Woll.

Positive impressions of the camp with its many exciting lectures and practical parts as well as information have also been gained by Muriel Pieper from Meppen. "It is very nice to get to know the many new manufacturing methods," she particularly emphasizes. Lachezar Kotsilkov from Sofia also sees his expectations fully confirmed. He is generally interested in STEM subjects, specifically computer science and physics, and hoped to get some guidance for his future studies during the camp. "It's interesting to see what study options are available in Germany and at BTU," he now explains.

Background
Since October 20, 2021, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg has been an official university partner of the national excellence school network MINT-EC of schools with upper secondary education and an outstanding mathematics, science and technology school profile. The official partnership is the result of the university's existing intensive cooperation with the network, which is under the auspices of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs. One of the main tasks of MINT-EC is to inspire students to take up STEM courses, to establish cooperation networks between schools, companies, universities and research institutions, and to provide further training for STEM teachers. The goals of the partnership between MINT-EC and the BTU are, in particular, to support students from schools with a focus on the natural sciences and technology in their decision to study by familiarizing them with study opportunities in the STEM subjects and to attract prospective students to study STEM subjects at the BTU.

The MINT-EC-Camp Mechanical Engineering is supported by:

Deutsche Bahn AG
Kjellberg Stiftung
Verein Deutscher Ingenieure Bezirksverein Berlin-Brandenburge.V.
Förderverein der BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg
Institut für Umwelttechnik und Recycling Senftenberg e.V.

Overview of participating schools

Franziskusgymnasium Lingen
Gymnasium Kirchheim Kirchheim
Gymnasium Laurentianum Warendorf
Istanbul Erkek Lisesi, Cagaloglu-Istanbul
Joseph-Haydn-Gymnasium Senden
Maria-Theresia-Gymnasium München
Städtisches Marie-Therese Gymnasium Erlangen
Max-Planck-Schule Rüsselsheim
Erzbischöfliches Ursulinengymnasium Köln
Gymnasium Adolfinum Moers
Gymnasium der Stadt Lennestadt
Gymnasium Marianum Meppen
Helmholtz-Gymnasium Essen
Maximilian-Kolbe-Gymnasium Wegberg
Max-Planck-Schule Rüsselsheim
Weidigschule Butzbach
Robert-Mayer-Gymnasium Heilbronn
Gymnasium Marianum Meppen
Humboldt-Gymnasium Ulm
Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn Gymnasium Forst
91. Deutschsprachiges Gymnasium „Prof. Konstantin Galabov“ Sofia
Theodor-Fontane-Gymanisum Cottbus
Naturwissenschaftliches Gymnasium "Geo Milev" Stara Sagora