A dozen wins and the Lahn Cup: RuS Steinmühle swept the board at the 112th Giessen Pentecost Regatta

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With no fewer than 12 victories under its belt, the Rudern und Sport Steinmühle club headed home from the 112th Giessen Pentecost Regatta. The concept of this traditional event—with its mix of elite and club sports—once again perfectly aligned with the Steinmühle Rowing Club’s mission to support both competitive and recreational rowing. The fact that Steinmühle’s results in Giessen were so outstanding proved once again: the right people are in the right place here.

Although he is now accustomed to competing on the international stage, Marc Weber decided to race in his home region once again. This return to his roots was well received by the organizers, and as expected, Marc—who has his sights set on an Olympic berth—secured two victories and the Lahn Cup. The RuS Junior A and Junior B competitive rowers also won their respective competitions. Johannes Germano claimed four victories and posted the fastest times in both the Junior B and Junior A competitions. Lilu Schmidt crossed the finish line first a total of five times. The talented Steinmühlen rower also impressed alongside her rowing partner from Eltville, Sofiia Krasnova, in the double sculls. “This duo could have a successful future ahead of them,” predicts Steinmühlen coach Martin “Stromi” Strohmenger.

 

Great performance by Maurits Juhre

The coach also praised Maurits Juhre’s outstanding performances. Together with Johannes Germano, Maurits—who had already impressed in Munich—posted the fastest times in the single sculls races. Maurits also took to the water with his Frankfurt rowing partner in the “development double,” and did so with phenomenal success: Out of a total of 15 competitors, they posted the fastest time. “Both train in an exemplary manner,” Strohmenger explained, seeing great potential for this boat combination in 2025.

Paula Koch had also signed up for the Pentecost Regatta. However, a last-minute illness put a damper on her plans. Several rowers from the U-15 age group would have competed as well—if they hadn’t been away at a Scout camp.

 

A united front sends a great message

“All these results are great,” says Coach Strohmenger happily. The coach considers the team spirit and the united front shown by the young athletes to be almost even more important, especially since all of the RuS competitive rowers competed in Giessen.

The next events are already marked on the RuS athletes’ calendars. Marc Weber will next compete at World Cup III in Poznan from June 14 to 16, while Johannes Germano, Lilu Schmidt, Maurits Juhre, and his rowing partner will compete at the 2nd International DRV Junior Regatta in Hamburg from June 1 to 2. The 88th Kassel Rowing Regatta, taking place the same weekend, will serve as the state qualifier for the national competition. There, Leonhardt Germano and Nils Grunwaldt will put their skills to the test.

 

 

Johannes, Lilu, Maurits: Outstanding Achievements by Young Rowers at Steinmühle

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The young athletes from RuS Steinmühle achieved remarkable success at the regatta hosted by the Offenbach Rowing Club “Undine.” They secured a total of seven victories, four of which were won by Johannes Germano alone. The talented and hard-working rower racked up a total of eight victories of his own.

Another standout performer: Lilu Schmidt. At not even 15 years old, she finished first in three out of four races—and that against a field of 15- and 16-year-olds, and even some 18-year-olds. —What a celebration!

With this regatta performance, the Rudern und Sport (RuS) Steinmühle club came within a hair’s breadth of winning the overall trophy for the day; it missed out by just one point. “Still, we came in second—and that’s among about 30 clubs from all over Hesse and the surrounding area,” says coach Martin Strohmenger happily.

Other athletes from RuS Steinmühle are also currently in contention for top finishes. Notable among them are Leonhardt Germano and Nils Grunwaldt, who competed in the 12/13-year-old age group in Offenbach, narrowly lost in the single and double sculls, respectively, and returned home with valuable regatta experience.

Meanwhile, at the International Junior Regatta in Munich, 17-year-old RuS rising star Maurits Juhre once again demonstrated his skills. At Europe’s largest junior rowing event, the ambitious Steinmühlen rower held his own against a multinational and highly competitive field, finishing with an outstanding 4th place in the B final.

Guys and girls, we’re proud of you!

Photos: Guido Germano

ZDF Expresses Interest in Steinmühle’s “Jugend Forscht” Project

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At the state competition “Jugend Forscht” in Darmstadt, Steinmühlen students Leonard Berger, Clara Steiner, and Quentin Herwig narrowly missed second place—and with it, qualification for the national competition—with their project “Food Wrap Made from Crab Shells—Is That Possible?” For the trio—which recently became a quartet with the addition of Nicolas Bohnstedt—the project is now moving on to the next round at a different level. In addition to second place and a special prize at the state competition, an inquiry from ZDF is a wonderful sign of recognition.

An editor from the ZDF science program PUR+ had visited the “Jugend Forscht” state competition, looked at the many exciting projects, and presented the most interesting ones to the planning editorial team. Among them was the Steinmühle project by the four teenagers. While still at the event, the journalist spoke with Quentin about the project and shortly thereafter reached out to the Steinmühle and project leader Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf to stay in touch with the students and their project.

“We don’t yet have a specific program in mind that this project might fit into,” according to ZDF. The plan is to produce a segment for 2025.

PUR+ is an educational program for children that covers a wide range of topics, from sports and the environment to social issues and technology. The target audience is children aged approximately 10–14.

Meanwhile, the group is very excited about this request, according to Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, project supervisor and STEM coordinator at Steinmühle. The team now plans to continue working on the project and perhaps submit it to “Jugend testet” next year.
This works out well, because the group has not only produced many different types of films made from chitosan—a byproduct of crab shells—but has also developed various testing methods. For example, the highly sustainable films can be tested for tear resistance using a homemade pulling machine, or to determine how much moisture or oxygen they allow to pass through.
Further information: https://www.zdf.de/kinder/purplus, https://www.jugend-testet.de/.

 

State Victory at “Jugend Forscht”: Steinmühle’s Plus-MINT Trio Qualifies for the National Finals and Will Compete Against Germany’s Best

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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.

Four first-place finishes and three second-place finishes: A strong start to the season for Maurits Juhre and Johannes Germano

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A great start to the season for our rowers from RuS Steinmühle: Maurits Juhre and Johannes Germano got off to a flying start this weekend at the 52nd Early Season Regatta on Lake Aasee in Münster. Maurits competed four times over 2,000 meters, confidently securing second place three times and finishing third once. Johannes also raced four times, all over a distance of 1,500 meters. The young athlete, who recently joined RuS Steinmühle, won all four races by a wide margin—what a celebration! Coach Martin Strohmenger was impressed: “Both rowers received positive feedback and gained valuable experience this weekend, which will definitely benefit them in their upcoming regattas.” Their next races will take place in two weeks in Offenbach and then in Gießen. — Keep it up, guys! We’re rooting for you!

Akaash Bhagwat Wins State Championship in Physics

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Huge joy for the team of advisors—Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, Sven Freibert—and the entire Steinmühle community: Last weekend, 12-year-old Akaash Bhagwat, a student in our International High School Program, won first place in physics at the state-level “Schüler experimentieren” competition held at the University of Kassel! Akaash took an in-depth look at how to combine environmental protection and cost savings when it comes to batteries. He analyzed over a hundred used batteries and discovered that they still contain a considerable amount of residual energy. This inspired him to make a large portion of that residual energy usable again using a voltage converter. Among other things, he modified a 4.5V flashlight—which is normally powered by three 1.5V batteries—so that it can now run on a single used battery.

Several factors led the jury to award first place to our 6i student: the high social relevance of the project, the comprehensive and systematic analysis, and the visually appealing and informative presentation of the results. The experts were so impressed by Akaash’s work that, in addition to the prize money, they awarded him the Special Prize for Energy Efficiency and the Environment as well as the Special Prize for Resource Efficiency. Our photos show the student at his desk and at the award ceremony alongside state competition director Eva Kretzer. The older students will compete this Thursday in the state “Jugend forscht” competition, which will take place at Merck in Darmstadt. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and will later summarize the projects of all participants in a comprehensive report.

“Jugend forscht” and “Schüler experimentieren” Hesse State Competition 2024
Awards Ceremony March 16, 2024 Ing.-Schule, University of Kassel
Photo: Andreas Fischer
andreasfischerkassel@gmx.de
Tel. 0172 56 37 017
Tiessenstrasse 5
34134 Kassel

“Youth Research”/”Students Experiment”: Steinmühle Dominated the Regional Competition

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Steinmühle was the only high school in Marburg to take first place in the regional “Jugend forscht” competition—and it did so four times. It also won two second-place finishes, as well as special awards and a mentor award.


Used batteries—too good to throw away? With this research project, Akaash Bhagwat, a 6th-grade student at the Steinmühle International High School, won first place in the physics category in the “Students Experiment” subcategory, as well as a day-long field trip with a guided tour at Feig Electronics in Weilburg.


Natural UV filters—an alternative? Anna-Lena Griesler (8th grade), Maya Fischer, and Justus Pöschl (both 7th grade) explored this question in their chemistry class and, as the best interdisciplinary project, also won the regional competition in the same category.

On March 15–16, both teams will head to the University of Kassel for the state competition.


“The Muffin of the Future—0% Egg, 100% Vegan” was the title of the project by Lotta Funk, Lotti Jarosch, and Evin Kaya from 6th grade, for which the trio won second place in the “Working World” category.

 

Plus-MINT boarding school students took first place
Water Analysis 2.0: Development of an Autonomous, Low-Cost Boat for Determining Water Quality— this is the title of the project by students at the plus-MINT Boarding School Steinmühle: Luis Gerloni, Fabian Sotonica, and Clara Steiner (12th grade). With their work, the young researchers took first place in the field of space and earth sciences. This project was developed in collaboration with Dr. Christoph Reudenbach from the Department of Geography at Philipps University of Marburg.

 

Plastic wrap made from crab shells—is that possible? Leonard Berger, Quentin Herwig (both 11th grade), and Clara Steiner (12th grade) focused on chitosan films, since chitosan is a waste product and its production therefore does not require any farmland. With their project on this topic, the three students won first place in the “Working World” category and were delighted to receive the additional special prize: a day at the magical Makerspace Gießen.

On March 20 and 21, these teams will compete in the state round of the “Jugend Forscht” competition at Merck in Darmstadt.

 

“Nettles and More—Natural Insulation Materials for Heat and Sound ” was the name of the project for which Toshiro Beato del Rosal (9th grade), Leontin Schmidt (10th grade), and Paul Fischer (9th grade) won second place in the Technology category and also received the special prize for renewable raw materials.

All of Steinmühle’s projects were led—depending on their subject focus—by Steinmühle’s STEM advisory team, consisting of Dr. Sven Freibert, Jonathan Gröb, Antje Seel, Dr. Patrick Szabo, and Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, who supervised no fewer than five projects.

The competition, which proved so successful for Steinmühle, was ultimately capped off with a special award for particularly dedicated project supervisors: Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, who is responsible at Steinmühle for coordinating the STEM subjects—mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology—as well as for supporting gifted students in these fields—will travel to Lemgo for a three-day networking event, which will include visits to InnovationsSPIN and Lernfabrik 4.0.

Quantum Physics and Worlds of Sound: Advanced Physics Class on a Field Trip to DESY and the Elbphilharmonie

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At the end of Q3, from Thursday morning through Saturday evening, the 13th-grade advanced physics class, accompanied by their teacher Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, embarked on a varied field trip to Hamburg to explore the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY). The trip was packed with other exciting activities and experiences.
Even the journey there turned out to be an adventure, as the planned departure was delayed by a full two hours due to a rail strike. Despite this challenge, the group finally arrived at the youth hostel at the Landungsbrücken around noon. The accommodation not only offered a very pleasant stay in a central location but also an impressive view of the Elbe River and the harbor.

The first item on the agenda took place in the afternoon—a visit to the Hamburg Student Research Center. There, all those interested gained insight into the work of the facility, which has already accumulated far more experience than the Central Hesse Student Research Center (SFM), which recently opened in Marburg.
A cultural highlight was on the agenda for the evening: a classical concert in the main hall of the Elbphilharmonie, a building that is impressive both architecturally and acoustically. The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra performed, among other works, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 and “A Hero’s Life” by Richard Strauss.

The second day began with a visit to the quantum laboratory at DESY, a leading research center for particle physics. Here, the students had the opportunity to conduct in-depth experiments on quantum physics themselves, which will certainly be helpful in preparing for their upcoming physics Abitur exams.
It was also exciting to record an X-ray spectrum ourselves—something you just can’t do at school.
The subsequent guided tour of the sprawling research institute offered everyone a fascinating glimpse into the world of subatomic particles.
In the evening, the group continued its cultural journey, this time to Miniatur Wunderland, one of Hamburg’s most popular tourist attractions. The meticulously detailed miniature worlds delighted the students and provided a wonderful conclusion to the day.

On the last day of the field trip, the students had the opportunity to explore the city on their own. The trip finally came to an end, as planned and even right on time, with the evening return trip on the ICE, during which the participants were able to reflect on their impressions and experiences. The field trip was an enriching experience that not only deepened their academic understanding but also undoubtedly left them with lasting memories.

Successes of Our “MINTis” at Science Olympiads

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In 12th grade, Clara Steiner and Fabian Sotonica participated in various science competitions, including the Chemistry, Biology, and Physics Olympiads.

Both tackled the very challenging problems of the Physics Olympiad and made an immediate impression. They qualified for Round 2. Unfortunately, Clara was unable to take the exam for Round 2.
Fabian also competed in the Biology and Chemistry Olympiads, though he narrowly missed advancing to the second round in biology. Things went very well in chemistry; he aced the first round and performed so well in the second round that he was rewarded with a book voucher.

The two were accompanied by their supervising teachers, Antje Seel, Dr. Jutta Töhl-Borsdorf, and Dr. Patrick Szabo. The results give cause for optimism for next year’s competition, as both students will likely have significantly expanded their knowledge by then.

 

The second plus-MINT Math Camp at the Steinmühle produced the best Bolyai team in all of Hesse

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For the second time, Steinmühle hosted the plus-MINT Math Camp as part of the plus-MINT talent development program, organized and led this year by Maximilian Moll. In January, 22 students gathered for four days and had an exciting time participating in a varied math program that included several field trips.

Young math enthusiasts from grades 10 and 11 arrived at the Steinmühlen campus from all corners of the country: Participants from Birklehof High School, Louisenlund, St. Afra Saxon State High School, and Pforta State School—they all worked on math problems and puzzles together with students from Steinmühle High School.

 

Geometry on a Sphere

On Monday, the group arrived and was welcomed in the boarding school’s tea room with drinks and snacks. Afterward, they headed to the Lahnberge hills in Marburg to participate in the workshop “Geometry, Topology, and Spherical Triangles” with Prof. Dr. Oliver Goertsches from Department 12 (Mathematics and Computer Science). Topics covered included the geometry of the sphere, dihedra, and the derivation of the area of a spherical triangle.

The next morning, the students were set to compete in the Bolyai Competition. In this multiple-choice math competition, team performance is what counts. Talea Wagner, Zora Herrmann, Alfred Sontag, and Alexa Lehmann achieved an outstanding result. They took first place out of 134 teams in Hesse! This high-performing group also took first place nationwide, tied on points with the team from the Landesgymnasium für Hochbegabte in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Unfortunately, the quartet missed out on advancing to the final round in Budapest in the tiebreaker. Still, it was a fantastic performance by the four of them that day!

 

Calculating Logarithms in Your Head

The team competition was followed by a workshop with Dr. Karl-Heinz Muth: “Math Tricks to Help in Everyday Life—From the Calendar to the pH Value.” The students gained many fascinating insights into mathematical relationships. For example, they calculated logarithms in their heads and learned how to determine the day of the week of a given birth date mentally.

The day’s mathematics program concluded with a workshop led by Prof. Dr. István Heckenberger titled “Games, Logic, Mathematics.” Topics included a Hungarian board game with a brief introduction to logic in mathematics.

It wasn’t just the daytime program at the +MINT Math Camp that was sports-oriented: The evening wrapped up at the Steinmühle with an exercise session.

 

Field Trip to the Mathematikum

On Wednesday, the group took a trip to Gießen and visited the Mathematikum. The doors of the popular hands-on museum opened exclusively for the “MINTIs” during renovation week.

The group had actually planned to go on a math scavenger hunt in Marburg’s old town afterward. However, the heavy snowfall that set in put a stop to those plans.

The math camp ultimately wrapped up with a special dinner in the cafeteria, featuring a three-course meal by candlelight.

To sum up the entire event, Steinmühle noted a very positive overall atmosphere, engaging presentations, and successful cross-school networking.

The participants quickly realized among themselves: We can count on you!

 
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Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the school?

School Administration & Management

Björn Gemmer & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-20

schule@steinmuehle.de

Do you have questions about the boarding school?

Boarding School Administration & Management

Anke Muszynski & Dirk Konnertz
Phone: 06421 408-0

internat@steinmuehle.de

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