From the idea to the finished prototype

“We’re building a road-salt spreader for our school!” —With sparkling eyes and full of enthusiasm, five students announced this at the end of the first day of a very special project at the Christian-Weise-Gymnasium in Zittau. Together with their classmates, they had brainstormed ways to improve their daily school life and were eager to put their ideas into action right away. Now they sat down together and drew up a detailed list of materials so that their “hack”—the construction of their prototype—could be successfully completed in just two more days before the presentation.

Three days of creative tinkering, aimed at making the school a little better, sparked enthusiasm among students and teachers alike. The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) had brought a special STEM kit equipped with microcontrollers, sensors, and output devices. For example, one group of students was able to measure the fill level of a trash can and display it using an LED strip that changed from green to red when the can was full. Another group installed a sensor under a table that sounds an alarm when chewing gum is stuck to it.

These innovative kits come from “Make Your School, ” a nationwide network dedicated to promoting STEM skills (science, computer science, engineering, and mathematics). Make Your School offers students the opportunity to develop their skills in these important areas through hands-on projects and to devise innovative solutions for their everyday school life. The HSZG has been part of this network since the start of this school year and organizes five such “Hackday” events annually at schools in eastern Saxony, primarily with 8th-grade students.

One highlight was the HSZG’s new mobile lab, which was developed as part of the “Zukunftslernort Oberlausitz” (ZukLOS) initiative. ZukLOS is at the heart of the HSZG’s efforts to promote extracurricular STEM education and aims to establish a region-wide “Future Learning Center.” “Today’s children and young people are the future shapers of Upper Lusatia. Through the Upper Lusatia Future Learning Center, we are laying the foundation for them to actively take on this role,” said Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil, Vice President for Research, Transfer, and International Affairs at HSZG.

ZukLOS is structured around four areas of activity: the Zittau Junior Academy, the Görlitz Experiment House, mobile and decentralized learning centers, and Campus4You. The development of mobile learning centers—which includes the mobile lab used here—aims to bring science and research directly to the people. Using the onboard digital technology—a laser cutter and a 3D printer—the students were able to give their prototypes an appealing design and even print the necessary components right on site. In bringing their ideas to life, the students received active support from dedicated university staff and Orest Lytvyn, who is completing his federal volunteer service at the HSZG.