Exciting lessons, hands-on workshops, promoting a fascination for technology and facilitating the transition from school to university or vocational training - these are the goals of the Junior Engineer Academy (JIA) of the Deutsche Telekom Foundation. TU Dresden has been supporting the Ehrenfried-Walther-Tschirnhaus high school (EWvT) in the development of the academy since 2022. The JIA aims to permanently promote technical education in schools through a two-year compulsory elective subject (8^th/9^th grade).

A great opportunity to "feel and touch" science in the School of Engineering Sciences at TU Dresden

© Florian Lehmann

Whether it was making ice cream from liquid nitrogen, soldering a converter to charge a smartphone or testing resource-saving lightweight structures: during the recently completed block week at TU Dresden, the 28 pupils in year 8 of the EWvT were able to get to grips with engineering sciences, ask questions directly to researchers and get active themselves. With the support of the TUD, the entire school year was filled with curriculum-integrated excursions, lectures and experiments in and outside of school. The block week marked the end of a practice-oriented year. In Year 9, the profile lessons then focus more strongly on industry and the business sector in Dresden in order to shed light on the many facets and perspectives of the business location.

TU Dresden as a promoter of STEM education

The Dresden pilot project is a very special STEM educational measure for Nadja Bauer, Head of the Central Point of Contact for Schools at TU Dresden: "This project is a prime example of successful collaboration between schools and universities, which ultimately benefits the students directly. We are therefore particularly pleased that the only Junior Engineer Academy in Dresden to date is being run by one of our partner schools, the EWvT. As part of the project, young people can experience first-hand what scientists are researching in the future-oriented fields of mechanical and electrical engineering and the relevance of engineering for us all. We are very grateful to the dedicated researchers from the School of Engineering Sciences for the hands-on activities and in-depth insights."

Summer university, fall camp, Expedition Campus and much more: TU Dresden offers many other opportunities and projects for students to get interested in STEM subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology) at an early age.

More information:
More about STEM education projects at TU Dresden
https://tu-dresden.de/studium/vor-dem-studium/uni-testen

More about the Junior Engineer Academy
https://www.telekom-stiftung.de/aktivitaeten/junior-ingenieur-akademie

Contact:
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Central Point of Contact for Schools
Nadja Bauer
Email: