School pupils gain career insights at IMWS

»The Future Day not only offers pupils insights into the work of STEM professions, but is also a wonderful opportunity to promote young, talented individuals. At our institute, we show how much fun scientific and science-related jobs can be and how important the results of our work are for everyday life. Pupils gain an impression of how varied research work can be and also able to enhance their skills in an exciting environment,« said Constanze Pälecke, Human Resources Manager at Fraunhofer IMWS, who organized the Future Day together with a committed team of human resources staff, researchers, and other employees.

The pupils in school grades seven to nine had applied for the Future Day at IMWS and chose suitable stations based on their interests, where they gained exciting insights into work with the help of employees from the Institute. For instance, they were able to try being detectives for the automotive industry: using a light microscope, they investigated a faulty computer chip to discover why the airbag does not work in a car. To do this, they needed to precisely prepare the samples and analyze them under various microscopes.

The pupils also performed experiments in the laboratory as part of chemical analytics: Those interested in the fields of chemistry, biotechnology and materials technology ascertained, among other things, the organic carbon content on wafer surfaces. What’s more, the participants looked at glow sticks, which are popular at parties and sporting events: What exactly makes them light up? Together with researchers from Fraunhofer IMWS, the pupils brought about chemical reactions, making only the chemicals but also the participants’ eyes light up.

The freezing of materials with liquid nitrogen and the property changes created in this manner were also investigated in the laboratory. The upcoming young researchers were also able to familiarize themselves with the physical and chemical diversity of solar cell production.

What’s more, they had the opportunity to try their hand at being biotechnical lab assistants: The participants discovered, for instance, what a culture medium for bacteria needs to contain, how fats can be identified in food, and how corn starch and glycerin can be used to produce biodegradable packaging.

Other exciting tasks awaited the young guests in the field of Technical Services in the precision engineering workshop. Producing test equipment for laboratory experiments was a particular challenge. This required skilled craftsmanship from the pupils. They tried milling, sawing, and drilling to repair a broken thread and processed a workpiece on a CNC machine.

At the end of the Future Day, the girls and boys were rewarded with participation certificates and many exciting impressions from the world of applied science. The Future Day, which emerged from the Girl’s Day, took place at Fraunhofer IMWS for the tenth time. The nationwide initiative launched in 2001 is intended to introduce school children, especially girls, to training professions and courses of study in the fields of IT, trades, natural sciences, and technology. Companies and universities throughout Germany open their doors for this. IMWS will also organize a future day in 2018, which will be held on April 26, 2018.

Registrations can be submitted to personal@imws.fraunhofer.de from January 1, 2018.