Young people explore the world of the stars: MINT-EC camp on astrophysics at TU Dresden

From May 5 to 8, 2025, 24 selected students from the national excellence school network MINT-EC will be guests at the TUD Dresden University of Technology. As part of a four-day camp on astrophysics, they will gain exciting insights into current research into the physics of stars.

Together with scientists from the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics (IKTP) at TU Dresden and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, the young people will explore key questions in astrophysics. The focus is on experiments and theories on the formation of chemical elements and the development of stars. In hands-on workshops, they analyze experimental data - for example with measurement data from the underground laboratory "Felsenkeller", which they visit as part of the camp. There they will experience how particle accelerators are used to research processes that take place deep inside stars. The camp concludes with a presentation of the young people's own initial research findings, which they develop over the four days.

© TUD

Getting to know Dresden as a place to study is also part of the program. During a campus tour, the participants gain an insight into life and learning at TU Dresden. In the evening, they explore Dresden's Neustadt district together with students.

The camp participants were selected from 140 applications from MINT-EC schools throughout Germany. One student traveled from the German School Quito in Equador to Dresden to take part in the astrophysics camp.

The astrophysics camp is taking place at a particularly exciting time: The German Center for Astrophysics (DZA) is currently being built in Lusatia - with the cooperation of TU Dresden. The young people will thus experience research at the cutting edge of a highly innovative field of science with great future prospects.

The MINT-EC Camp is made possible by the EU project ChETEC-INFRA, which is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 101008324.

Contact persons:
School contact point of TU Dresden
anne.bruder@tu-dresden.de
0351 463 38258

Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics
uta.bilow@tu-dresden.de
0351 463 32956