plus-MINT students experiment with their idol: YouTube STEM star Marcel Häfele (aka Techtastisch) visits the Steinmühle
YouTube STEM star Marcel Häfele visits the Steinmühle and conducts an impressive experiment with about 25 students.
On a sunny Tuesday morning, Clara (16), Fabian (15), and Luis (15) are standing at Marburg’s main train station with Steinmühle School Principal Björn Gemmer, waiting. For the plus-MINT students at Steinmühle, today is anything but “normal,” because any moment now they’ll get to meet Marcel in person.
Marcel Häfele is 28 years old and a real star among STEM enthusiasts in Germany. His YouTube channel, Techtastisch, has 478,000 subscribers, where chemistry and physics experiments are staged in spectacular ways. Marcel first visited the Steinmühle a year ago, and since then, a partnership has been established between Techtastisch and the plus-MINT Association. Marcel is a passionate supporter of the plus-MINT program. He’s convinced that “the plus-MINT program would have been the perfect opportunity for me as a student!”
plusMINT: Nationwide Talent Development at Selected Boarding Schools
In the summer of 2021, Steinmühle became one of six plus-MINT boarding schools in Germany. The plus-MINT program began with four students at the start of the 2022–2023 school year. Clara, Marlene, Luis, and Fabian applied online via the plus-MINT platform in the fall of 2021. The selection days took place during the 2022 Easter break. “They were incredible!” enthuses Clara (16): “We sat together with 50 people in the evenings and tackled math problems—everyone loved math.” At first, Clara couldn’t imagine going to a boarding school at all: “I was very unsure whether this was right for me, but the selection days completely won me over. Anyone interested in STEM should definitely apply!” Fabian (15) enthusiastically agrees: “The selection days were really great! I’m still in touch with some of the participants.”
Everyone agrees: “Best decision ever!”
The first few weeks at boarding school were an adjustment for all four of them, and for some, a major challenge. “After three days, I missed my family so much that I wanted to give up,” says Luis (15). “I then set myself a two-month deadline, and now, after a little over five weeks, I can say: Going to Steinmühle as a Plus-MINT student was the best decision of my life.”
Marlene (14) is surprised by her own reaction: “I thought I’d be homesick, but somehow boarding school life really suits me. I enjoy being around people my own age, and on the weekends when we go home, I visit my family.” Luis also finds spending time with the boarding school community to be a great experience: “Back home, I wasn’t very socially active and tended to hang out with my friends online. Here at Steinmühle, you just automatically take part in boarding school life and feel like you belong. That’s good for me!”
Luis has been an avid follower of Techtastisch for six years now. He never would have thought it possible to meet Marcel in person. And then there he is, standing right in front of them—Marcel. He’s friendly, open, and somehow feels like one of them right away.
Marcel’s message: “Follow your own path, live your dream!”
Upon arriving at the Steinmühle chemistry lab, Marcel receives a warm welcome from about 25 Steinmühle students enrolled in the research courses, as well as STEM teacher Dr. Patrick Szabo and STEM coordinator Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf. Soon, lab coats and safety goggles are put on, and Techtastisch gets started. Marcel approaches the task with enthusiasm, wit, and a touch of irony; he has a good rapport with the students. He is living his dream and has even managed to make a living from his passion for STEM.
“I never would have thought I’d be standing here one day. I was diagnosed with ADHD at age eight, and school was sometimes very difficult for me. As a teenager, I struggled with bullying.” Today, as a young adult, there’s no trace left of the once-introverted student. He’s passionate about STEM and wants to ignite that same passion in others. He treats everyone he meets as an equal, and that really resonates with people.
Everything is filmed specifically for the Techtastisch community and posted on TikTok and Instagram. Fabian, a student in the Plus-MINT program, is brought on as an assistant and mixes chemical substances under Marcel’s guidance (and with great caution). Shortly afterward, a jet of flame lights up the lab, and everyone present is visibly impressed.
What was done in the experiment?
The experiment is known in American English as “Negativ X.” In German, it is called “Feuer mit Wasser.”
Procedure:
Weigh out the ammonium nitrate and ammonium chloride and mix them in a beaker. The mixture is then placed on a fireproof surface, a weighed amount of zinc is carefully folded in, and the mixture is piled into a cone. A small amount of water is added drop by drop using a pipette.
The mixture is essentially ignited by water.
Marlene and Luis record the explanations for the experiment live and film them for YouTube. Luis is still completely blown away the next day: “Marcel and Techtastisch have had a huge influence on me over the years; he’s my idol. It was through him that I learned about plus-MINT, and I ultimately applied in response to his call for applicants. Getting to meet him in person here at the Steinmühle—and not just watching him, but actually working with him—was simply amazing!”
Techtastisch leaves his mark at the Steinmühle and promises to come back soon.
He has a clear message for anyone interested in STEM: “Apply for the next round of the plus-MINT program!” Clara, Marlene, Fabian, and Luis couldn’t agree more.
