From June 6 to June 9, a delegation from Steinmühlen traveled to the MINT Campus 2024 in Louisenlund: Maya Fischer (Grade 7), Anna-Lena Griesler (Grade 8), Jonathan Kurz (11th grade), and Fabian Sotonica (12th grade) set off on the long journey to the Baltic Sea with their chaperones, Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf and Dr. Sven Freibert, where they had the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic program combined with a pleasant atmosphere.

After the project booths were set up for the upcoming fair, the official program kicked off on Friday morning with a keynote talk by Dr. Caroline Rodenbeck from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on the KATRIN experiment and neutrino mass—a complex topic presented in a clear and accessible way. This was followed by the main event—the fair, where everyone had the opportunity to present their current projects to a jury and the public. The event was divided into three categories: Math/Computer Science/Engineering; Biology/Environmental Sciences; and Physics/Chemistry. The wide range of topics provided ample opportunity for interesting discussions.
Shortly after the fair ended, an evening program began with a pub quiz, where participants had to answer questions from various categories in small groups at their tables. This was a pleasant way to get to know each other better. Afterward, we had time until midnight to chat with other participants outside the “school” setting, which created a relaxed atmosphere.

Workshops and Relaxation

On Saturday, the event began with workshops on various topics, followed by another keynote talk by Prof. Dr. Mira Pöhlker from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research on the topic of aerosols, and the event concluded with the awards ceremony. In the Biology/Environmental Sciences category, Fabian Sotonica won the prize for his “Boat” project. Maya Fischer and Anna-Lena Griesler received the prize in the Physics/Chemistry category. These were truly great achievements that we were all delighted to celebrate!
Last but not least, even the audience voted for Maya & Anna-Lena, so they can call themselves the “Winners of the Hearts.”

After a brief wrap-up with snacks, the plan was to go sailing as an optional extra activity, but that literally fell through. Unfortunately, due to the weather, this part of the program had to be canceled. Nevertheless, we were able to relax with a few games and snacks and bring our stay at Louisenlund to a close. Over the course of these just under four days, a truly wonderful sense of community developed, and we’re all glad we were there! After saying our goodbyes the next morning, we set off on our journey back to Marburg.

Anna-Lena Griesler & Maya Fischer

This is the best “Jugend Forscht” result in Steinmühle’s history: After Steinmühle student Akaash Bhagwat won the state championship in physics at “Schüler experimentieren” (the competition for younger students), the 12th-grade plus-MINT trio—consisting of Luis Gerloni, Fabian Sotonica, and Clara Steiner, also emerged as state champions at the “Jugend forscht” state competition held at Merck in Darmstadt. Originally submitted in the Earth and Space Sciences category, the project ultimately won the award for “Best Interdisciplinary Project” and will now compete in the national competition. “We’ve been participating in ‘Jugend forscht’ for seven years and have always done very well. But we’ve never had a success like this before,” explains their advisor, Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf.

Luis (16), Clara, and Fabian (both 17) were quite nervous as they had to hold their own among about 50 other projects and ultimately compete against three others in their category. For about half an hour, the jury members—representing research, academia, and industry—asked their questions—and they were on the same level. Under the title “Water Analysis 2.0: Autonomous Low-Cost Boat for Determining Water Quality,” the trio presented their research project. The discussion delved deeply into the subject matter—not a trace of easy questions whose answers would have been obvious. Relieved and almost in disbelief, the students—who participate in the plus-MINT program at the Steinmühle boarding school—heard that they had won—the reward for hours of dedicated tinkering, extensive expertise, endless perseverance, and tremendous interest.

Another criterion: public benefit

The next round—the national competition in Heilbronn—will feature the best German research projects. The young researchers explain in an interview that they’ll have to step it up a notch there. “There are only a few projects in our category, Earth and Space Sciences,” the three acknowledge. But that makes their efforts all the more closely scrutinized by the jury members.

The questions asked there will also focus on other aspects. The jury will assess whether the project is truly the participants’ own—that is, whether they identify with the project’s goals and demonstrate genuine commitment. According to the trio, the project’s benefit to the community is also important. They can wholeheartedly affirm this—because their greatest hope is that their experiment will become a mass-market product for measuring water quality!

The Goal: To Inspire the Industry

A small “surfboard” serves as the basis for the remote-controlled, motorized platform for water analysis developed by Clara Steiner, Fabian Sotonica, and Luis Gerloni. It is not stationary—which sets it apart from many measurement systems. The “boat” can be equipped with various sensors for water analysis, and it can collect up to four water samples.

Inspiring industry and businesses with their idea is therefore the goal of the three plus-MINT talents, who—along with the Steinmühle School and Boarding School—have made it to the top ranks of Germany’s best young researchers. Their vision is a fully autonomous boat capable of navigating currents and saltwater that can be used by anyone, even private individuals, in any location. This would allow water measurements to be taken at a wide variety of locations across the country and transmitted online for analysis. “The result would be a nearly complete picture of the condition of our waterways.”

At the end of May, Luis, Clara, and Fabian will head to Heilbronn for the national “Jugend Forscht” competition. Joining them will be Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, a multiple recipient of the Mentor Award. Alongside her are others who have supported the plus-MINT trio on their journey to the top. These include Antje Seel and Dr. Patrick Szabo from the Steinmühlen STEM team. The collaboration with Dr. Christoph Reudenbach from the Department of Geography at Philipps University of Marburg also provided valuable insights and support.