BRAINSTORM – Your Day in Future Mode TU Braunschweig invites school classes to get involved and explore

What does food chemistry have to do with everyday life? How can we design a city of the future? And how is virtual reality changing the way we learn? Young people can discover the answers to these and many other questions for themselves at the new event format ‘BRAINSTORM – Your Day in Future Mode’. Technische Universität Braunschweig will be at phaeno Wolfsburg on Friday 2 October, from 9 am to 4 pm, offering a wide range of hands-on activities.

BRAINSTORM is aimed at pupils from year 8 onwards across all types of school. The focus is on hands-on exploration: at TU Braunschweig’s stands, young people can conduct experiments, learn about new technologies and chat with scientists.

At the event in Wolfsburg, knowledge ambassadors from TU Braunschweig will provide insights into the diversity and relevance of current research. Professor Eckart Voigts takes participants on a quest to answer the question ‘How smart is your city really?’, whilst Professor J. Daniel Prades offers a glimpse into the future of small, energy-efficient sensors in a talk entitled ‘Save power, sense the world: The future of mini sensors’.

Smart home model house and experiment kits

The Department of Food Chemistry invites visitors to take part in various experiments. The Institute for Sustainable Urbanism demonstrates how cities can be designed through ‘CitySphere – Experience urban design interactively’. Young people can discover smart building technology in the smart home model house provided by the elenia Institute for High-Voltage Engineering and Energy Systems. The SynTrac rowing machine, supported by the Transregio SynTrac Collaborative Research Centre, combines sport with innovative technology that also plays a major role in aviation.

Digital and new learning environments are also represented: the changING experiment kits from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering bring technology to life. At interactive stations, young people can conduct their own experiments, investigate technical phenomena and try out their own solutions – ranging from acoustics and lightweight construction to robotics and fluid mechanics. This gives them a practical insight into engineering topics and helps them discover just how diverse technology and mechanical engineering can be.

Using the VR MindPalace from the Institute of Computer Graphics, young people can develop their own learning strategies in virtual reality. This allows them to discover, in a playful way, how technical terms and vocabulary, amongst other things, can be remembered more easily through spatial associations. In addition, the Central XR Learning Lab invites teachers and pupils to discuss learning strategies, innovative learning environments and teacher training programmes.

Anyone wondering whether a degree at TU Braunschweig might be the right path for them can obtain information and personalised guidance on choosing a degree programme and study options from the Academic Advice Service (ZSB).

“At BRAINSTORM, young people can not only learn about science but also try it out for themselves. Our activities demonstrate just how diverse research and study at TU Braunschweig are – from food chemistry and urban development, through energy and technology, to virtual reality. Perhaps a question or an experiment might even spark an idea for their own future path,” says Dr. Madleen Moritz from TU Braunschweig.

Science meets career guidance

For the first time, BRAINSTORM brings together science, professional practice and career guidance at phaeno. Alongside TU Braunschweig, participants include Wolfsburg Hospital, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences, 42 Wolfsburg, the Open Hybrid LabFactory and other partners.

Short talks by knowledge ambassadors complement the hands-on activities. Topics covered include artificial intelligence, smart cities, electromobility, programming and the world of work of the future.

BRAINSTORM will take place on Friday 2 October, from 9 am to 4 pm, at phaeno Wolfsburg. The event is aimed at pupils from year 8 onwards across all types of school. School classes can sign up for the event via the phaeno Service Centre; places are limited.