Future Day 2026 in pictures
What does it feel like when a robot suddenly does exactly what you tell it to? How does an idea turn into a small experiment? And what actually goes on behind the doors of a university? At Future Day on 23 April 2026, pupils at Technische Universität Braunschweig had the chance to find out. For one day, laboratories, workshops and seminar rooms were filled with questions, experimentation, wonder and forward thinking.
Career insights: Prof. Dr. Federica Ferraro spoke about her journey to becoming a scientist. Photo credit: Tatjana Szalkau/SE²A
Protecting a raw egg from a fall of seven metres! At the Institute for Aircraft and Lightweight Structures, younger students customised an egg "passenger" and built impact protection devices using straws, cardboard, cling film and adhesive tape. These creative designs saved many little passengers, who were even given names. Photo credit: Tatjana Szalkau/SE²A
Vice-President Prof. Dr Arno Kwade and Prof. Dr Carsten Schilde welcomed the 75 pupils to the Future Day at the PVZ. Photo credit: Lea Hülsen/PVZ
In the STEM group "Physics", headed by Hazal Kutluk, Jeroen Bugter, Jozef Di Fiore and Alexandra Hegemann, participants gained hands-on experience with modern bioengineering techniques by constructing simple microfluidic devices and exploring 3D printing. In addition, they worked with hydrogels and observed fluorescently stained biological cells under the microscope, which offered the younger participants in particular a vivid and exciting insight into the microscopic world. Photo credit: Hazal Kutluk/PVZ
Pupils are building microfluidic devices. Photo credit: Emanuela Montefrancesco/PVZ
Using a LEGO AFM (atomic force microscope), this explains how we can examine the roughness of different surfaces. Photo credit: Diana Herz/LENA
Through a scanning electron microscope, pupils look directly into the eye of a fruit fly. Photo credit: Diana Herz/LENA
During Girls’ Day at the Institute for Communication Studies, the schoolgirls worked in small groups to create a picture on the theme “What does generative AI mean to me?”. Photo credit: Agatha Stark/IfKW
The students had great fun trying out TU Braunschweig Toolbox during Girls’ Day at the Institute of Communication Studies. Photo credit: Agatha Stark/IfKW
At the end of Girls’ Day at the Institute of Communication Studies, there were smiles all round. Photo credit: Private
A group of boys visited the TU Braunschweig on Boys’ Day. At the Institute for Educational Sciences, they learnt about careers in teaching and educational sciences. Photo credit: Kirsten Aust/IfE
At the Institute for Educational Sciences, 2026 pupils took part in a student survey as part of Future Day. While analysing the results of the study, they had the chance to try their hand at being researchers. Photo credit: Kirsten Aust/IfE
The STEM researchers, who spent Future Day at TU Braunschweig as part of the Helipod@school project, are comparing the results of their experiment on the effect of temperature on the rate of photosynthesis. As the CO₂ concentration in the water decreases, the pH level rises and the indicator solution containing the algae balls turns purple. Photo credit: Marie Betsch
A particular highlight is the tour of the HELiPOD towed probe, during which pupils can see for themselves how the data they are working with is actually collected. Photo credit: Marie Betsch
In the flight simulator, the pupils were able to take off from Braunschweig Airport. Photo credit: Tatjana Szalkau
Future Day at the Battery Labfactory Braunschweig (BLB). Mascha Pfeiffer/TU Braunschweig
At various institutes and facilities at TU Braunschweig, the children gained an insight into the worlds of science and technology. They experienced the diversity of research first-hand and learned that careers should not be chosen based on whether they are supposedly “typical” for girls or boys. Instead, they should be chosen based on your interests. What you would like to understand. And what you might one day want to work on yourself.
Our photo gallery captures moments from a day when many small questions became very big – and perhaps sparked a few ideas for the future.