From school to the lab - First DLR student lab in Brandenburg

Together with Dr. Anna Christmann, Federal Government Coordinator for German Aerospace and Dr. Manja Schüle, Minister for Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg, BTU President Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande and DLR Executive Board Chair Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla ceremonially opened the student laboratory at the central campus. In nine fascinating hands-on experiments, students of all school types learn about cutting-edge research in the fields of aero- and fluid dynamics, space flight, energy, electrified aerospace propulsion andlow-CO₂ industrial processes.

"The prerequisite for excellent research and its successful transfer to industry is a well-trained workforce. That's why we want to get young people excited about research at an early age," says Prof. Gesine Grande, president of BTU. "We are very pleased that we are creating new opportunities for students to access science with the student lab. A big thank you to the German Aerospace Center for the close cooperation and great support."

Dr. Anna Christmann, Federal Government Coordinator for German Aerospace: "With today's opening of Brandenburg's first DLR_School_Lab, DLR and BTU are jointly making an important contribution to combating the shortage of skilled workers in STEM fields and, at the same time, to successful structural change in the region. Girls and boys can discover their talent for science and technology as well as career prospects here."

Dr. Manja Schüle, Minister for Science, Research, and Culture of the State of Brandenburg: "Practice makes perfect: this is exactly the approach of the DLR_School_Lab, which opened today at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and enables students to learn in a lively and research-oriented way. At the same time, the school lab makes an important contribution to combating the much-lamented shortage of young scientists and engineers. This is because the range of topics covered by the Cottbus School_Lab not only covers a wide spectrum of DLR activities - from climate-friendly flying to low-CO₂ industrial products - but also establishes practical links with school subjects and perhaps even whets students' appetites for studying at the research-intensive BTU. In short, the School Lab is a groundbreaking example of innovative research and teaching cooperation and fits perfectly into the Lausitz region of the future!"

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chairwoman of the DLR Executive Board: "With the opening of DLR_School_Lab Cottbus, we want to get young people excited about research and technology, as well as point out corresponding training and study paths. Topics such as climate change and the energy transition make it clear how great the importance of research in the natural sciences is and will be in the future." The experiments in Cottbus' DLR_School_Lab are aligned with the main research areas of the DLR institutes in Cottbus and the profile lines of the BTU. The young people conduct the experiments in small groups. The "research visits," which usually last about six hours, are rounded off by age-appropriate short lectures and films - in keeping with the motto: "Experience the future - here and now!" Teachers can select suitable experiments for their students. Applications can be submitted from March 2, 2023 at DLR.de/schoollab/cottbus.

Prof. Christoph Egbers, head of the Department of Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, came up with the idea for the DLR student lab at the BTU. It took a good two years from the idea to completion.

About DLR_School_Labs

DLR_School_Labs are DLR laboratories for schoolchildren and extracurricular places of learning. They give children and young people the opportunity to discover the world of research and technology far beyond their school day.

From now on, schoolchildren in Brandenburg can also become researchers: Visit the ISS once, even if only virtually? Make flying environmentally friendly? Escaping gravity on Earth? Among other things, they will find out why wind turbines turn, how airplanes fly, how buoyancy works, how to build a fuel cell, or how to store heat that has been generated so that it can be used later. Further experiments are to follow in the course of the next few years.

DLR_School_Labs have a long history of success. The first school lab opened in Göttingen in 2000 and was very popular right from the start. The DLR_School_Lab BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is the 16th in Germany and the first to start operations in Brandenburg. DLR_School_Labs in Germany are visited by a total of around 40,000 students per year.