Honour for Prof. Peer Schmidt for his services to promoting STEM subjects

"As Vice-President for Academic Affairs at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Prof. Dr Peer Schmidt is committed to promoting STEM education. He is committed to the development of study programmes and educational programmes that prepare students for the demands of the digital world," says the MINT Zukunft e.V. publication on the occasion of the awards.

Prof. Peer Schmidt is delighted to accept the award and says: "Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences and Technology are topics that are practised in many different ways at a university of technology like BTU. They are reflected in research, in our study programmes and student initiatives. Our experience shows that young people who engage with scientific and technical phenomena at an early age are often very enthusiastic about them in the long term. We follow this guiding principle with our Centre for Student Acquisition and Study Preparation - Collegethe concepts of our school labs, school projects and more. My colleagues and I are also supported by STEM ambassadors at our university. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of these dedicated supporters. They all have a part to play in this honour."

The following other people were honoured for their great commitment as STEM ambassadors

• Silke Vorst - GenaU school lab network
• Marcel Dierig - Stratoflights GmbH & Co. KG
• Peter Höhn - Samsung Electronics GmbH
• Sigrun Schirner - MINT education/project coordination
• Dorothee Geisel - MINT Education/Project Coordination
• Barbara von Wnuk-Lipinski - BWI GmbH
• Waltraud Hermann STEM education/project coordination
• Jadga Hügle - SAP SE
• Dr Markus Riefling - Knowledge Factory - Companies for Germany e.V.
• Sven Meier - Association for the Promotion of MINT Talent e.V.

STEM ambassadors are volunteers from companies, foundations, schools and associations who are actively involved in promoting STEM education in Germany. As role models and multipliers, their aim is to get young people in particular interested in Mathematics, Computer Science, Natural Sciences and Technology and show them what career opportunities there are in this field. STEM ambassadors give talks in schools, offer internships and workshops or accompany pupils on STEM projects. The aim is to fund interest and enthusiasm for STEM subjects and professions and thus combat the shortage of skilled workers in this field in the long term. The "MINT Zukunft schaffen!" initiative coordinates and supports the work of the STEM ambassadors and offers them a network for dialogue and further training.

Being honoured as a STEM ambassador is a recognition of the outstanding commitment of these individuals and is intended to encourage them in their further work. The award ceremony took place on the networking evening of the annual conference with MINT Campus Day.

"MINT Zukunft schaffen!" is a community of companies, associations, foundations and initiatives and is committed to strengthening STEM education. The aim is to get more young people interested in STEM and to fund the skills in society. The initiative awards the "STEM-friendly school" and "digital school" labels. In 2024, around 3,000 schools in Germany will carry a label. The "STEM-friendly schools" are sponsored by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (KMK), while the "Digital Schools" are under the patronage of the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs, Dr Volker Wissing. "MINT Zukunft schaffen!" is a co-founder and member of the National STEM Forum. The initiative also publishes monthly data on the STEM gap, a biannual STEM report (STEM Meter), awards scholarships, STEM awards for students and the "MINT Minded Company" student prize for companies. The initiative is under the patronage of the Federal Chancellor.