MINT - Trail

Pupils looked on in amazement as a total of twelve different stations were set up last Monday when a considerable number of university employees presented the STEM Mobility Trail at Dresden-Bühlau secondary school.

The Faculties of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering and Natural and Environmental Sciences were on site with various offers. In particular, they showed tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade students how to program a smartphone app to control a lighting system, how wind energy generation works and how an ATM machine recognizes which coins it has just swallowed. In addition, the interested high school students were able to try out rapid tests for blood grouping in practice or solder together a small electrical circuit themselves.

The stations on the STEM Mobility Trail gave the pupils a vivid impression of how closely STEM subjects are interwoven with all kinds of areas of our lives and where they have practical applications in everyday life. Student advisor Dietmar Rößler gave those who would like to develop their interest in technical and scientific subjects into a degree course individual tips on deciding on the right course of study. All those who were not yet sure about their inclinations were able to create their own interest profile using the study interest test in the secondary school's PC pool.

The success of the event was a win-win situation for everyone involved. The pupils were able to take a look at technology and science beyond the school curriculum and find out about further training opportunities after leaving school. The university had the opportunity to present itself to potential future first-year students as an excellent starting point for a successful career. The teachers at the Dresden-Bühlau secondary school were also enthusiastic about the event format, so it will certainly not be long before it is repeated.

Many thanks at this point to all the staff and students involved who prepared this trail and made it a success!