{"id":44410,"date":"2020-03-18T12:44:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T11:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.steinmuehle.de\/blog\/2020\/03\/18\/steinmuehle-won-top-honors-and-special-prizes-at-regional-jugend-forscht-competitions\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T15:50:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T13:50:38","slug":"steinmuehle-won-top-honors-and-special-prizes-at-regional-jugend-forscht-competitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/blog\/2020\/03\/18\/steinmuehle-won-top-honors-and-special-prizes-at-regional-jugend-forscht-competitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Steinm\u00fchle won top honors and special prizes at regional “Jugend Forscht” competitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a total of six projects, Steinm\u00fchle competed this year in the regional competitions in Lollar and Kassel. Three teams took first place, thereby qualifying for the state competitions in Darmstadt and Kassel in the \u201cSch\u00fcler experimentieren\u201d category. Three teams earned a special award. <\/p>\n

Noteworthy is the participation of teams from various grade levels\u2014from the lower school to the upper school. Grade 6 was represented twice, while grades 8, 9, 11, and 13 were each represented once. The subject areas were also quite diverse: research and experiments were conducted three times in biology and once each in chemistry, physics, and earth and space sciences. <\/p>\n

Leonard Berger, Mats Egbring, and Leontin Schmidt were the sixth-graders who, in the “Sch\u00fcler experimentieren” under the guidance of teachers Dr. Jutta T\u00f6hl-Borsdorf and Dr. Dietmar von der Ahe, and also took home the special prize for environmental technology. They compared organic fields with conventional fields. In doing so, they analyzed a total of nearly 20 soil samples and found that organic fields scored highly both due to their low nitrate levels and their ability to bind and subsequently release nutrients. Conventional fields\u2014and especially those fertilized with liquid manure\u2014almost universally exhibited concerning levels of nitrate and nitrite. The jury deemed the topic, the project, and its results worthy of the highest possible ranking. Next up is the state competition in Kassel. <\/p>\n

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Not enough oxygen in the shoe<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morten K\u00f6hler, Benjamin Schul, and Joshua Wieder from 9th grade investigated why heat pads don\u2019t work in ski boots. The three students had gotten cold feet during the Steinm\u00fchle ski trip and noticed that heat pads for feet\u2014which are supposed to provide relief\u2014work very poorly. They investigated the chemical reaction and found\u2014in part by measuring temperature and oxygen curves\u2014that there is simply not enough oxygen inside ski boots. As a result, the desired reaction quickly comes to a halt. <\/p>\n

Under the guidance of teacher Dr. Jutta T\u00f6hl-Borsdorf, they used smartphone-controlled temperature sensors and an oxygen probe controlled by an Arduino. Arduino microcontroller boards were first introduced at Steinm\u00fchle by Malte Klimczak in the elective technology class and were also used here to address chemistry problems. These three students also won first place in chemistry for the best interdisciplinary project and can look forward to competing in the state competition in Darmstadt. <\/p>\n

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How Flour Beetles “Break Down” Styrofoam<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clara M\u00fcller, Marie Englert, and Jennifer Weber, all 11th-grade students, investigated\u2014under the guidance of Dr. Dietmar von der Ahe\u2014whether bacteria in the gut flora of mealworm larvae play a role in the degradation of Styrofoam. The students observed the feeding behavior of mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor) under various conditions. Using molecular biology methods (PCR, genomic and PCR DNA isolation, DNA quantification with a photometer, gel electrophoresis, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing performed by Eurofins Genomics, Ebersberg), they examined 230 different bacterial clones from the larvae\u2019s gut flora for their phylogenetic relationships and their ability to degrade polystyrene. In the process, they identified several bacterial clones from the Enterobacteriaceae family that can degrade the plastic in a nutrient solution. The genome of one of these clones (Clone No. 43) was fully sequenced (approximately 6 million base pairs) by Eurofins Genomics on their behalf in order to search the genome for coding regions for enzymes that might be involved in styrene degradation. The students also presented a possible mechanism for the chemical process of styrene degradation. As a special prize, the trio received a one-year subscription to the scientific journal \u201cBild der Wissenschaft.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Connecting with the University Through a Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ronja Rosenkranz, a 13th-grade student, impressed the jury in the physics category. She investigated what causes voice changes when inhaling helium. Students asked themselves this question in the 5th-grade NaUnt course taught by Dr. Jutta T\u00f6hl-Borsdorf. Ronja quickly realized that the explanation found almost everywhere is only partially correct and that the phenomenon is much more complex than previously thought. She developed various experimental setups to get to the bottom of the matter. The jury particularly emphasized her highly scientific approach to this question. Through the competition, she quickly established contacts with the University of Marburg, making it possible to conduct measurements in the Department of Phoniatrics. First place in physics for this project and the special prize for acoustics also qualify Ronja Rosenkranz for the state competition in Darmstadt. <\/p>\n

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What Earthworms Like<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the \u201cSch\u00fcler experimentieren\u201d competition, led by Dr. Dietmar von der Ahe, young researchers Teresa Dinges (Class 6b) and Sophia Rogosch (6c) investigated the potential effects of earthworms on soil and climate. In this project, the students took a close look at the behavior of the native earthworm Lumbricus terrestris and its interaction with soil bacteria. In the process, they discovered: <\/p>\n