Youth research 2017

Ten young researchers from the foothills of the Alps have qualified for the state competitions in Vilsbiburg and Dingolfing in "Jugend forscht" and "Schüler experimentieren". This means that four of a total of 48 projects were awarded first place in the regional competitions sponsored by HOERBIGER. In addition to the regional wins, the jury awarded 41 other prizes or placements to the participants.

in 2017, a total of 86 young researchers participated in the competitions in the foothills of the Alps with 48 works. "We are inspired by your commitment, your skills, your joy. And very importantly - it is also about appreciation for what you have achieved. We would like to show you this appreciation, especially at this ceremony," said Thomas Englmann, member of the Executive Board, at the award ceremony.

Thomas Englmann: "I am pleased to see that they also exist in your generation: Young, creative people with ideas who are open to leaving the established behind and thus shaping an even better future."

Two projects and five young scientists qualified to take part in the Bavarian state competition in the "Jugend forscht" category. Both projects come from the field of mathematics / computer science:

Marie Luise Szubert (18) and Natalie Bestler (17) from the Marien-Gymnasium in Kaufbeuren were awarded first prize for their "Evacuation Simulation". The project is about simulating a fire alarm in the school. The goal is to find the best possible escape routes to get the students outside as quickly as possible in the event of a fire. To do this, the two girls use a graph that can be used to observe exactly what happens in which parts of the school building in the event of an evacuation. The program is represented both computationally and visually and is based on reality. The students used the Marien-Gymnasium in Kaufbeuren as a model.

The three high school students from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Paul Gschwendtner (16), Benedikt Schmid (17) and Paul Thiel (16), convinced the jury with their "Vertretungsplan App". The three have programmed an app that allows students to have the substitution schedule for their class sent to their smartphone. This way, they already know before school which lessons are cancelled, postponed or held by other teachers. For greater flexibility, all data is transmitted to a specific endpoint, where it is stored and encrypted.

In the "Schüler experimentieren" section, five participants won first place with a total of two projects from the subject area of technology and are thus eligible for the Bavarian state competition.

One of the two winning projects is a memory game. It was developed by two students from the Welfen-Gymnasium Schongau. In the game, 14-year-old Regina Schmid and her partner Louisa Holderried, also 14, play a melody with high and low notes that must be repeated. If the notes are played correctly, the player receives a reward. If he makes a mistake, he is informed by a signal tone.

Cedrick Steiert, Thomas Heim (both 13) and Samuel Fäßler (14) have produced a robot that can make crêpes at the touch of a button. For this they were rewarded with a first place. To complement six Lego Mindstorm sets and two crêpes plates they had assembled, they built a sturdy frame from high-quality wood and bought bottles, hoses and other utensils to enable the dough to be transported to the crêpes plates. They found out that the dough takes about 45 seconds to turn into a golden brown and smooth crêpe.

All winners of the regional competitions will compete in the Bavarian state competitions. These will take place from April 3 to 5 in Vilsbiburg ("Youth research") and from May 4 to 5 in Dingolfing ("Pupils experiment"). The final event will be the national finals in Erlangen. There, the young researchers will present their projects for four days starting on May 25. The highlight of the event is the award ceremony on May 28.

"HOERBIGER has been a sponsor of 'Jugend forscht' and 'Schüler experimentieren' in the foothills of the Alps for 13 years. In this way, the company is making an important contribution to promoting Germany as an educational location overall," says Dr. Stefan Felber, head of the regional competitions in the foothills of the Alps.

Thomas Englmann adds: "We at HOERBIGER know how important it is to be innovative in order to be able to offer technical know-how and outstanding products and solutions. We are successful because we are technology leaders in our field. One of our four corporate values is called 'pioneering spirit'. Discovering new things is our focus. Thus, it is logical that we are looking for, and want to support, the researchers of tomorrow - you."

HOERBIGER will continue to support the regional competitions of "Jugend forscht" and "Schüler experimentieren" as a sponsoring company in the foothills of the Alps.