Summer student events organized by the chemistry department

As the school year draws to a close, the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences traditionally invites interested high school students to various events at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.

This year, the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, together with other departments, first welcomed students Ms. Stefan from the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium in Löbau and Ms. Rotzsche from the Christian-Weiße-Gymnasium in Zittau as part of a two-week student internship. During this time, the ninth-graders were able to gain insight into the structure of lectures, seminars, and internships at a university. The Chemistry Specialist Camp for 11th- and 12th-grade students from high schools in eastern Saxony—now in its 17th year—took place on June 13 and 14, 2018. A total of eleven students from high schools in Görlitz, Kamenz, Löbau, Radeberg, Seifhennersdorf, and Weißwasser responded to this year’s call for applications.

Following the opening remarks by Prof. Gerd Fischer, the participants attended a lecture on the topic of “Solubility of Gypsum.” Afterward, they were able to apply the theoretical knowledge they had gained in a hands-on laboratory experiment and evaluate and discuss the results of the experiment with experts from the HSZG. In the evening, they enjoyed a cozy meal at the “Cavallino” restaurant, and afterward, Jochen Kaminsky led the students on an entertaining “night watchman’s tour” through downtown Zittau. They spent the night in modern dorm rooms, which were kindly provided by the 'Studentenwerk' (student union) in Dresden.

The second day began with a hearty breakfast in the student canteen. Afterward, in the Organic Chemistry labs, the students were given a brief introduction to the topic “Dyeing with Natural Organic Dyes.” First, Prof. Greif explored the question “What are natural fibers, and how are natural dyes applied to the fibers?” in an engaging lecture. Following this, the knowledge gained was immediately put into practice in the Organic Chemistry Laboratory. Under the guidance of the laboratory director, Ms. Kitzig, various fabrics (silk, wool, cotton, linen, jute) were dyed with a variety of natural dyes. After the dyed fabrics had dried, the dyeing results and quality were expertly evaluated. It became clear that silk and wool, in particular, produce excellent results when dyed with natural dyes. At the conclusion of the event, all participants received certificates and a small souvenir gift.

On June 26, this year’s final round of the chemistry competition for 9th-grade students (Chemistry Olympiad) took place. This event is organized and conducted annually in cooperation with the State Office for Schools and Education (Bautzen branch) and the Chemistry Department at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The ten best student teams, which had prevailed in the first stage of the competition at their respective high schools, competed in chemical calculations and experimental tasks in the lab to achieve the best possible good ranking. In the end, the team from Lessing High School in Kamenz narrowly edged out the students from Bautzen and Zittau. Ultimately, however, all students could consider themselves winners, as the joy of scientific work and experimentation was the main focus throughout. After the award ceremony and presentation of prizes to all teams, a chemistry demonstration lecture featuring numerous interesting experiments was held for the students and guests. During the lecture, the chemical background of the experiments performed was also explained to the audience.

The overall feedback on the student events was very positive. All students participated with great interest and thoroughly enjoyed the scientific work and chemical experiments. In addition to the State Office for Schools and Education, the events were supported by the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), the German Chemical Society (GDCh), and Cornelsen Publishing. A heartfelt thank you goes to all participating students, the faculty members from Faculty N, and Mr. Liebner from the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium in Löbau, who, as he does every year, took charge of organizing the events.

Report: Matthias Jeschke