From the "Voluntary Scientific Year" at the University of Oldenburg to Jugend forscht: young scientist Max Kehrer wins the regional competition.
A-levels in the bag - what happens now? Max Kehrer from Metzingen in Baden-Württemberg also asked himself this question. He has a very good Abitur, but can't decide which subject he should study. During an internet search, he came across information about the "Voluntary Scientific Year" (FWJ). "I was immediately excited about the opportunity to familiarise myself with research in this way and to work in a scientific environment," says Kehrer.
In September 2019, he joined Prof Dr Jutta Kretzberg's Computational Neuroscience working group in the Department for Neuroscience at the School of Medicine. Like other members of the working group, he is researching the nervous system of leeches. And has now achieved a great success: With a first place in the regional "Jugend forscht 2020" competition in Emden, he has qualified for the state competition.
What do rising temperatures mean for wildlife?
Kretzberg says that many young researchers are unaware that they can also take part in the competition after leaving school. The neuroscientist is a volunteer in the "Jugend forscht" working group at the Altes Gymnasium Oldenburg and suggested that Kehrer take part in the competition. This was a great opportunity for the young researcher, as it allowed him to present his work in the working group as his own project.
Specifically, Kehrer focussed on the question of how rising temperatures - caused by climate change, for example - affect the nervous system of leeches. These animals are a model system for the scientists in the Kretzberg working group, which they use to investigate fundamental mechanisms in nervous systems. Kehrer used electrophysiological measurements to investigate the activity of the leech's pain receptors at different temperatures. "I used the results to develop hypotheses about the processes in the nervous system, which I then tested with the help of computer simulations," explains the 18-year-old. "We use such simulations to better understand how the nervous system functions under different conditions," explains Kretzberg.
The experiments showed that although the type of neuronal activity changed depending on the temperature, the strength of the activity did not. "We were therefore unable to detect any clear signs of a change in pain perception," says Kehrer. "So climate change is not (yet) hurting the leech, but it is already getting on its nerves," he adds with a laugh.
Max Kehrer has initiated good new research questions, emphasises Kretzberg. After these insights into day-to-day research, the FWJ student could well consider studying neuroscience - but he has not yet made up his mind.
Successful research
Anyone interested in a "Voluntary Scientific Year" in the period from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021 can still apply. More information at https://uol.de/fwj
