24 pupils from national STEM schools of excellence (MINT-EC – Das nationale Excellence-Schulnetzwerk) conducted research into astrophysics at TU Dresden from October 23–26. For four days, they worked on the physics of the stars with researchers from the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics of TU Dresden and researchers from the DeltaX School Lab of the Helmholtz-Zentrums Dresden-Rossendorf. The pupils discovered how new scientific findings into the origin and development of these fascinating celestial bodies made of gas and plasma are gained either in the lab or with the telescope.

The pupils explored topics such as nuclear reactions and their connection to the development of stars and the formation of chemical elements. They visited the underground laboratory at Dresden’s Felsenkeller and discovered how accelerators are used to investigate what happens inside stars. At the DeltaX School Lab, the young people were able to conduct experiments for themselves and find out how researchers reach new heights when studying the stars by analyzing spectra.

The science enthusiasts were selected from 120 applicants from all over the world. Pupils from German schools in Istanbul and Washington were among the successful applicants.

The MINT-EC Camp is made possible thanks to funding from the ChETEC-INFRA EU project, which is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 101008324.

Contact

Central point of contact for schools at TU Dresden

+49 351 463-37862

Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics

+49 351 463-32956