The wait until the jury\u2019s questioning seemed relatively long, and our nerves kept getting worse. At 12:15 p.m., the jury arrived at our booth, \u201cMicroorganisms and Plastic Degradation: Identification of Bacteria in the Larval Intestines of Galleria mellonella.\u201d Our presentation was followed by questions from the four-member expert jury, after which a sort of conversation developed, making the 45 minutes go by faster than expected. <\/p>\n
We were done just in time for lunch, so we were able to spend the rest of the day in a more relaxed manner. Until 4:00 p.m., camera crews, photographers, and radio teams were on the move, interviewing the candidates. The jury also conducted their final evaluations. This was followed by a dress rehearsal for the awards ceremony, which seemed a bit unnecessary. Then, after a long wait, the moment finally arrived: buses took us participants to the Kinopolis so that everyone could watch the movie \u201cEx Machina\u201d and then enjoy dinner together. During this time, the atmosphere among us grew increasingly lively, and by the end of the evening\u2014when everyone had settled into either a youth hostel or a hotel\u2014many new connections had been made. <\/p>\n
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“Feel free to put your own ideas into action!”<\/strong><\/p>\n The next morning, we had breakfast, and afterward everyone was driven back to the Merck campus. There was a lot of excitement about the awards ceremony, as well as a noticeable sense of fatigue among everyone. However, the schedule didn\u2019t allow for any long breaks. The tour of the Merck Innovation Center, where ideas for the future are brought to life, was very impressive and innovative, and our fatigue quickly faded away. We were given an insight into the idea development process\u2014which usually takes more than two years\u2014and a startup entrepreneur explained his company\u2019s process to us in a very relaxed manner, encouraging us to put our ideas into action. <\/p>\n After spending nearly three hours at the Merck plant, we made our way back to the gym, where parents, chaperones, and science enthusiasts were now waiting to hear explanations of the projects. This part was exhausting but also very interesting, as a noticeable number of interested people came to our booths. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vince Ebert as host<\/strong><\/p>\n At 3:30 p.m., the awards ceremony began as the participants entered the hall, and host Vince Ebert welcomed everyone in his usual warm and friendly manner. This was followed by many more speeches from Merck representatives, mayors, and the Minister of Culture. <\/p>\n With its second-place finish in the biology category, along with 200 euros in prize money, Steinm\u00fchle achieved a very gratifying result, which delighted our parents as well as our advisor, Dr. Dietmar von der Ahe, and our chemistry and physics teacher, Dr. Jutta T\u00f6hl-Borsdorf, who had also traveled to Darmstadt. Dr. von der Ahe, as our advisor, received the Advisor\u2019s Award. All in all, these two days were extremely enlightening, interesting, yet also very exhausting, and were filled with many wonderful experiences. Janina Seip<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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