Under the watchful eyes of twelve participants in the geoecological internship, Annett Franke, a graduate chemist, carefully breaks off a small piece of a brownish-black, unidentified rock with tweezers and holds it over an open flame. The interns, all properly dressed in lab coats, are allowed to smell the charred piece after testing its flammability and use an identification key to determine what type of rock it is.
A few rooms away, a lively debate is raging over the preservation of open-pit lignite mines. Taking on the roles of energy company representatives, power plant employees, environmentalists, and displaced residents, the four opposing sides engage in a passionate verbal battle over the pros and cons of coal-fired power generation. So it seems to be “business as usual” at the university—except that it’s Saturday, and here, high school students are experiencing a typical day of classes instead of college students.
The “Saturday University” offers ninth- through twelfth-graders the opportunity to get a glimpse of a possible future at the HSZG and to feel just like a college student. In lecture halls, seminar rooms, and labs, they gain insights into both theory and practice, as well as course content and everyday student life. Each of the four event dates in the 2017–18 academic year is organized by a different faculty and focuses on a different theme.
Here is an overview of the upcoming dates:
Saturday, January 20, 2018 / Zittau Campus
Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management
“Design Your Own 3D Dream Home,” “Numbers Don’t Lie—Or Do They? A Journey Through Everyday Statistics,” and “Business Administration Simulation Game—Test Your Chances of Success as an Entrepreneur”
Saturday, March 17, 2018 / Zittau Campus
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
"PowerSchool: Our Energy for Your Future!"
Saturday, April 14, 2018 / Görlitz Campus
Faculty of Social Sciences
“I See Something You Don’t See—An Interactive and Hands-On Introduction to the Psychology of Perception” and the “Psychology of Learning” Workshop
November 11, 2017, the first “Saturday College for High School Students” event of this academic year, focused on the theme “Treasures of the Past—Lignite in Upper Lusatia” and was hosted by the university Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences . The geoecological internship, in which students learn the basics of rock and soil identification, was one of two hands-on activities from which participants could choose. In addition, Eric Schön, an engineer with a Diplom, led a simulation game on the topic of “Coal-Fired Power Plants.” The discussion of the four positions—some of which were themselves torn between pros and cons—clearly demonstrated the complexity of the overall situation and the challenges involved in reaching an agreement on phasing out coal and the energy transition.
The strong arguments the students used to defend their respective positions were particularly noteworthy. Inspiration for this came from the introductory lecture on “open-pit lignite mining,” with which Eric Schön prepared the participants of the “Student University” for the hands-on work in the geoecology lab and for the simulation game. As true Upper Lusatians—most of whom come from the area around Niesky—the students had already encountered the topic directly or indirectly beforehand. After all, the power plant in Boxberg and the Nochten open-pit mine are located in the immediate vicinity of where they live.
As a result, the young researchers in the geoecology lab had no trouble identifying the brownish-black, combustible rock sample mentioned at the beginning as lignite. In addition to other local rock types such as basalt and granite, they also examined the mineral components of granite—feldspar, quartz, and mica—as well as pyrite, which is frequently found in lignite deposits. The mineral—known, among other names, as pyrite, cat’s gold, or fool’s gold—made it clear to the students that, as is so often the case, appearances aren’t everything: For as beautifully shiny as pyrite is in its crystalline form, it is just as problematic for the environment—especially with regard to the acidification of soil and groundwater.
Armed with plenty of insights into the daily life of an ecology student and memorable learning experiences, the 31 students set off for the weekend. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Franke, Mr. Schön, and Ms. Kobelt for their dedication and for organizing the first “High School at the University on Saturday” event of this academic year!
There are still spots available for upcoming “High School Students’ Saturday at the University” events—click here to register here.
Contact
Saturday University for High School Students
Christiane Matthieu (M.A.)
Phone: 03583 612-4277
Email: christiane.matthieu@hszg.de