Selected for the 25th Inventors’ Lab: Sam Tadjiky presents his research findings to invited guests
The 25th Inventors’ Lab, organized by the “Center for Chemistry” (ZFC) association based in Lorsch, South Hesse, held its finals at the Darmstadt-based chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck. Among the approximately 200 applicants from all over Hesse, a total of 16 highly gifted students from 16 schools made it to the finals, including Sam Tadjiky, a 12th-grade student at Steinmühlen High School.
In front of an audience of about 170 prominent figures from the business community, schools, universities, and government ministries, the student teams concluded the event by presenting their research ideas and proposed solutions under the overarching theme of “Organic Electronics.” The organizer honored the “stars of tomorrow” as “Hesse’s next generation of business leaders on the cusp of the future.”
Chemistry teacher Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf eagerly awaited the presentation by Sam Tadjiky, who is currently taking his Abitur exams. She had supported him with his application. Constanze Oestreicher-Gold, head of Subject Area III (Science and Mathematics), and Principal Björn Gemmer were also thrilled. Sam’s tutor, Elke Karasek (advanced math course), had even traveled to Darmstadt to follow everything up close. A week-long workshop culminated that day in a vivid presentation of the solutions to the problems that the young researchers had developed as part of the Inventors’ Lab.
Sam Tadjiky and his three team members focused on the production of organic semiconductors for use, among other things, as photovoltaic cells. Conventional cells are made of silicon—an efficient but expensive way to generate electricity. As an alternative, the team synthesized their own polymers, which actually worked as long as they ensured purity and took great care during the manufacturing process. The ingress of oxygen destabilizes the polymer chains—making it a labor-intensive process that, under ideal conditions, however, works and delivers the desired results. Research on this topic is still ongoing.
Sam, who is taking advanced courses in math and physics, said he was “not nervous during the presentation—more relaxed.” In any case, he had fun. He sees his application to the Inventors’ Lab as a step on the path to finding his career. He’s really into the STEM subjects—math, computer science, natural sciences, and technology. But he doesn’t plan to make the competition’s subject matter his career: “We’ll see. Computer science, maybe.”
About the Contest
The 25th Inventors’ Lab took place at Merck and at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Department of Chemistry (Prof. Matthias Rehahn). In addition, the event was supported by, among others, the Hessian Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, the Hessian Ministry of Economics, Energy, Transportation, and Regional Development, and the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU). The Inventors’ Lab is part of the “School 3.0 – Energy Transition in the Classroom” initiative.
In previous years, Steinmühlen students Jan-Eric Wichmann, Lisa Kemena, and Philipp Kreiter had already qualified to participate in the Inventors’ Lab.
