Experimenting, programming, tinkering and trying things out - this is the motto of the AHOI_MINT Festival on Schlossplatz on 9 September. There will also be stands from the university.
Controlling a robot arm, trying out telescopes or touching a real meteorite - that's what the AHOI_MINT Festival on Schlossplatz invites you to do next Friday. Children and young people between the ages of 10 and 16 can discover the so-called MINT subjects, i.e. mathematics, computing science, natural sciences and technology, in a whole new way. Parents and teachers can also explore the diversity of the natural sciences at the festival.
There is plenty to discover and try out at numerous stands. The university is also represented, for example with its Oldenburg Teaching and Learning Labs (OLELA). The programme is normally aimed at student teachers - for example, so that they can develop and research new learning opportunities for pupils as part of their Bachelor's and Master's theses. Festival guests will find out which experiments are involved and why they encourage participation. The OFFIS affiliated Institute will also be on site - with a robotic arm that visitors to the stand can control themselves. The focus is on the question of how Computing Science can reduce the workload of nursing staff in the future. Those interested can experience the universe up close at the stand of the Astrophysics and Space Research department. Small telescopes will be available to try out. Children and young people will also learn about their use in research and education. Anyone who has always wanted to touch a real meteorite will also get their money's worth. A stage programme in the castle courtyards with a science slam, experiments and short talks rounds off the programme.
The festival is organised by the educational project AHOI_MINT Cluster NordWest, which aims to get children and young people interested in science and technology. In the joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), a team led by Oldenburg physicist Michael Komorek is working together with partners from the OFFIS computer science institute, the State Museum of Nature and Man and the Forschungszentrum Nordwest für Schülerinnen und Schüler e.V. to strengthen the networking of extracurricular and school-based STEM education programmes in the north-west of Lower Saxony. The Smart House Oldenburg is responsible for coordinating the project.
A central idea of AHOI_MINT is to link the diverse programmes in the region in such a way that pupils can look at complex problems such as climate change or the future energy supply from different perspectives. The programmes are also to be opened up and made available to more children. The network partners are supported by almost 80 other partners from science, business, public administration and civil society.
