{"id":45347,"date":"2022-10-25T00:17:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-24T22:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.steinmuehle.de\/blog\/2022\/10\/25\/plus-mint-students-experiment-with-their-idol-youtube-stem-star-marcel-haefele-aka-techtastisch-visits-the-steinmuehle\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T17:36:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:36:22","slug":"plus-mint-students-experiment-with-their-idol-youtube-stem-star-marcel-haefele-aka-techtastisch-visits-the-steinmuehle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steinmuehle.de\/en\/blog\/2022\/10\/25\/plus-mint-students-experiment-with-their-idol-youtube-stem-star-marcel-haefele-aka-techtastisch-visits-the-steinmuehle\/","title":{"rendered":"plus-MINT students experiment with their idol: YouTube STEM star Marcel H\u00e4fele (aka Techtastisch) visits the Steinm\u00fchle"},"content":{"rendered":"

YouTube STEM star Marcel H\u00e4fele visits the Steinm\u00fchle and conducts an impressive experiment with about 25 students.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a sunny Tuesday morning, Clara (16), Fabian (15), and Luis (15) are standing at Marburg\u2019s main train station with Steinm\u00fchle School Principal Bj\u00f6rn Gemmer, waiting. For the plus-MINT students at Steinm\u00fchle, today is anything but \u201cnormal,\u201d because any moment now they\u2019ll get to meet Marcel in person. <\/p>\n

Marcel H\u00e4fele 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 Steinm\u00fchle 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\u2019s convinced that \u201cthe plus-MINT program would have been the perfect opportunity for me as a student!\u201d <\/p>\n

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plusMINT: Nationwide Talent Development at Selected Boarding Schools<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the summer of 2021, Steinm\u00fchle became one of six plus-MINT boarding schools in Germany. The plus-MINT program began with four students at the start of the 2022\u20132023 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. \u201cThey were incredible!\u201d enthuses Clara (16): \u201cWe sat together with 50 people in the evenings and tackled math problems\u2014everyone loved math.\u201d At first, Clara couldn\u2019t imagine going to a boarding school at all: \u201cI was very unsure whether this was right for me, but the selection days completely won me over. Anyone interested in STEM should definitely apply!\u201d Fabian (15) enthusiastically agrees: \u201cThe selection days were really great! I\u2019m still in touch with some of the participants.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Everyone agrees: \u201cBest decision ever!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first few weeks at boarding school were an adjustment for all four of them, and for some, a major challenge. \u201cAfter three days, I missed my family so much that I wanted to give up,\u201d says Luis (15). \u201cI then set myself a two-month deadline, and now, after a little over five weeks, I can say: Going to Steinm\u00fchle as a Plus-MINT student was the best decision of my life.\u201d <\/p>\n

Marlene (14) is surprised by her own reaction: \u201cI thought I\u2019d 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.\u201d Luis also finds spending time with the boarding school community to be a great experience: \u201cBack home, I wasn\u2019t very socially active and tended to hang out with my friends online. Here at Steinm\u00fchle, you just automatically take part in boarding school life and feel like you belong. That\u2019s good for me!\u201d <\/p>\n

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\u2014Marcel. He\u2019s friendly, open, and somehow feels like one of them right away. <\/p>\n

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Marcel’s message: “Follow your own path, live your dream!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Upon arriving at the Steinm\u00fchle chemistry lab, Marcel receives a warm welcome from about 25 Steinm\u00fchle students enrolled in the research courses, as well as STEM teacher Dr. Patrick Szabo and STEM coordinator Dr. Jutta T\u00f6hl-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. <\/p>\n

\u201cI never would have thought I\u2019d 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.\u201d Today, as a young adult, there\u2019s no trace left of the once-introverted student. He\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s guidance (and with great caution). Shortly afterward, a jet of flame lights up the lab, and everyone present is visibly impressed. <\/p>\n

What was done in the experiment?<\/em><\/p>\n

The experiment is known in American English as \u201cNegativ X.\u201d In German, it is called \u201cFeuer mit Wasser.\u201d <\/p>\n

Procedure:<\/u>
\n<\/span>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. <\/p>\n

The mixture is essentially ignited by water.<\/p>\n