Exciting research questions in the Excellence STEM Camp Biology

The students came from the National Mathematics and Science High Schools in the Bulgarian capital Sofia as well as in Burgas, Kasalnak and Stara Zagora. They all accepted an invitation from the College to the Campus Senftenberg of the BTU - for the Excellence STEM Camp Biology from June 26 to July 1, 2023.

The welcome by the Vice-President for Academic Affairs of the university, Prof. Dr. Peer Schmidt, and representatives of the International Relations Office kicked off a week full of projects, experiments and excursions.

For example, group work in the modern laboratories of the Therapy Science study programme focused on topics such as "Muscle activity in the SpaceCurl" - a three-axis therapy device in which a person can move virtually in all planes of space by shifting their weight, "The strength of the lower extremities" or "Hand-eye coordination under precision pressure". Insights were also provided into the Bachelor's study programme in Nursing Science.

A highlight of the Excellence STEM Camp Biology, which was conducted in German, was the visit to the Bad Saarow research station of the BTU's Aquatic Ecology chair. Here, the young people plunged into Lake Scharmützel with the research catamaran. They took water samples, examined them and answered research questions - for example, on the influence of organic pollution on water quality and on the organisms found in this lake.
Continuing the technical program under the overall scientific direction of Milena Gramov, the biology department head at the college, they learned about electrophoretic methods, which are used primarily for analysis in biology and medicine. In the college laboratory at the BTU, the young people analyzed genetic samples and, with concentration and enthusiasm, determined a fictitious culprit through a DNA experiment.

At the end of the Excellence STEM Biology Camp, the students had to present their solutions to the research tasks, for which they prepared with great diligence. "They worked very dedicatedly in the projects and even invested their free time for it," confirms Milena Gramov.

The participants saw their expectations of the camp more than fulfilled. Ivan Boyanov, for example, had hoped to do a lot of practical work in the lab at the BTU. Now he wants to tell his teacher in Bulgaria about the exciting experiments and hopes that something similar can be realized at his school. "I particularly liked the people, especially the great interest and respect we were shown," says Ivan. Since he is very interested in genetics, the DNA experiment was particularly captivating for him. As a study programme, the eleventh-grade student finds Biotechnology very interesting.

Even beyond the subject program, the students were able to take many lasting memories back to Bulgaria - for example, from the barbecue with students on the BTU campus or from Lake Senftenberg, on the shore of which they were accommodated in the harbor camp, and above all from the anniversary celebration for the tenth anniversary of the BTU, of which they were guests. Such a camp is also already planned for the summer of 2024.

The Excellence STEM Camp Biology 2023 was supported by:
attomol Molekulare Diagnostika GmbH, Stiftung SPI – Niederlassung Brandenburg, Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V.  – Landesverband Nordost, Institut für Umwelttechnik und Recycling Senftenberg e.V. (IURS), Zweckverband Lausitzer Seenland Brandenburg, Stadt Senftenberg, Förderverein der BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.