Research and Expermient Week 2018

A green meadow near Berchtesgaden, mid-April. Standing in a semicircle on the grass are 20 students from the Welfen-Gymnasium Schongau with their supervising teachers, Nicola Schmid and Simon Batzer. “Three, two, one, launch!” With a loud hiss, a rocket about half a meter long shoots into the sky, accompanied by excited cheers from the onlookers. It climbs higher and higher until it disappears against the blue sky. The students gaze upward in anticipation, especially the rocket’s designer. Then a dark ribbon appears, slowly descending. The final stage of the rocket has deployed a long streamer, slowing its descent. The student breathes a sigh of relief and rushes forward to catch the rocket as it lands.

The students on the meadow are part of the “Research Week” project at the Welfen-Gymnasium Schongau. They had previously qualified through an application process to spend a week, from April 9 to April 13, conducting research and experiments at the Student Research Center in Berchtesgaden. In several workshops, they had the opportunity to delve deeply into topics from the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Among other things, they used mathematical methods to survey downtown Berchtesgaden, digitally designed keychains that were then cut using a laser cutter, and built their own rockets. The clear favorite among the students was constructing their own rockets, which they were later able to launch using self-soldered igniters.

The research center’s offerings were complemented by a visit to the National Park Center “Haus der Berge” in Berchtesgaden. Its motto, “See, hear, feel, taste, and understand nature,” fit perfectly with the concept of the Research Week. In the impressive multimedia exhibition, the group learned much about the Berchtesgaden National Park and its animal inhabitants. The program also included a boat trip on Lake Königssee, complete with the obligatory echo. To round off the eventful and insightful week, the students visited the Berchtesgaden Salt Mine on Friday. In the adjacent salt laboratory, they conducted numerous experiments on the topic of salt before beginning their journey home that afternoon.

Special thanks go to the Frank Hirschvogel Foundation, which not only supported the project for the past three years but has also already pledged its continued support for the years to come.