Ideas for Tomorrow: Regional Young Talents Impress at “Jugend forscht” Lower Franconia
Great excitement prevailed at the ceremonial award ceremony of the 42nd Regional Competition “Jugend forscht” Lower Franconia in Grafenrheinfeld. Region Mainfranken GmbH invited over 300 guests to the cultural hall in Grafenrheinfeld for the closing event of the two-day competition last Friday afternoon.
District Administrator Florian Töpper emphasized the relevance of the competition for promoting young talent in STEM fields. Together with Bettina Gardenne, Managing Director of Region Mainfranken GmbH, he presented the first certificates and prizes to the young researchers. Christian Keller, Mayor of Grafenrheinfeld, Dr. Weigl, representing the Ministerial Representative for Grammar Schools in Lower Franconia, as well as Deputy Government President Jochen Lange from the Government of Lower Franconia also presented the winner certificates to the award recipients.
Ms. Gardenne emphasized in her speech the importance of the competition for promoting young talent in the region. This year, too, the competition could count on the support of numerous companies and institutions. Sponsors included FIS GmbH, Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken, Knauf, Sparkasse, VDI Wissensforum GmbH, Schweinfurt District, Oswald Elektromotoren GmbH, Döpfner-Betriebs-GmbH + Co. KG, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, bb-net media GmbH, SKZ – Das Kunststoff-Zentrum, Labor LS SE & Co. KG, ÜZ Mainfranken eG, Trips GmbH, schaeffler FAG Stiftung, LichtBlick SE, WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG, Bionade GmbH, IHK Würzburg-Schweinfurt, AOK Bayern and Main-Post.
The competition format distinguishes two age categories: “Jugend forscht Junior” for students from 4th grade onwards and “Jugend forscht” for young people between 15 and 21 years old. The seven subject areas include Working World, Biology, Chemistry, Geo and Space Sciences, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics and Technology. A jury of representatives from schools, universities and industry evaluated the submitted projects based on content, conceptual and design criteria. The young researchers presented their work at individually designed exhibition stands and provided insights into their research results.
Alexander Pabst, Head of the Regional Competition, highlighted the importance of support from school administrations, supervising teachers and the jury. Their commitment is a central component of “Jugend forscht” and an important incentive for students to engage with scientific questions.
The following projects were selected as winners by the jury and have qualified for the state competition.
JUGEND FORSCHT:
Working World: SAVER 2.0 – Smart Aerial View for Emergency Rescue
Tanmay Sonar, Kronberg-Gymnasium Aschaffenburg
Biology: Microplastics – Absorption Through the Intestine?
Annemarie Geier, Gymnasium Veitshöchheim
Chemistry: Eco Electra 2.0 The Efficient Algae Power
Timo Spatz, Sophie Slowik, Hans-Seidel-Gymnasium Hösbach
Geo and Space Sciences: Sunspot Data Check – Automated Analysis of Sunspots (PV-Helioscan)
Paul James Vince, Hanns-Seidel-Gymnasium Hösbach
Physics: Modeling the Cable Car as a Double Pendulum and Investigation of Deterministic Chaos
Luise Schmittner, Olympia-Morata Gymnasium Schweinfurt
JUGEND FORSCHT JUNIOR:
Working World: 112 Maps – Automatic Mapping for the Fire Department
Anton Krumbholz, Hanns-Seidel-Gymnasium Hösbach
Biology: Worm-tastic Growth – How Earthworms Influence Plant Growth
Kora Tübel, Hanns-Seidel-Gymnasium Hösbach
Physics: Faster, Higher, Further? Stones on the Jump
Maximilian Schäfer, Friedrich-Dessauer-Gymnasium Aschaffenburg
Technology: Fire Extinguisher Locating System
Ben Kempf, Finn Umscheid, Paul Rexroth, Staatliche Realschule Miltenberg
REGION MAINFRANKEN GMBH
As the platform for the Mainfranken regiopolitan region and regional development company for the Main-Franconian districts, the independent cities of Würzburg and Schweinfurt, as well as the chambers of commerce, Region Mainfranken GmbH pools regional forces in politics, science and business to position Mainfranken in national and international competition for business locations. Through targeted location marketing, Mainfranken becomes visible to potential skilled workers, investors and interested parties.
The shareholders of Region Mainfranken GmbH are, in addition to the two independent cities of Würzburg and Schweinfurt, the seven Main-Franconian districts of Bad Kissingen, Haßberge, Kitzingen, Main-Spessart, Rhön-Grabfeld, Schweinfurt and Würzburg, as well as IHK Würzburg-Schweinfurt and the Chamber of Crafts for Lower Franconia.
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Image 1: First-place winners of the Jugend forscht Regional Competition Lower Franconia
Image 2: Sponsors and VIPs
Photo credit: Rudi Merkl
