Munich, Bremen, Augsburg, Leer in East Frisia, Cologne or Delmenhorst – our four groups are made up of pupils from very different parts of Germany. They all have one thing in common: they love mathematics, physics and computer science. We introduce you to a young talent from each team:
Jolina is in twelfth grade at the Max-Planck-Gymnasium in Delmenhorst. »That's in Lower Saxony. I didn't have any connection to Kaiserslautern before,« says the 16-year-old. She is part of a STEM class at her school. This means intensive lessons in computer science from the seventh grade onwards, so programming with Python and Scratch was not entirely new to her. »This type of teaching has strengthened my desire to study mathematics, physics or computer science in the future. Unfortunately, I rarely find comprehensive information about the many possibilities in these fields. But after this week, I can even imagine studying here in Kaiserslautern. I was particularly surprised that you can write your thesis in English or even French, for example,« she reports enthusiastically. Jolina and other Talent School participants are using this year's camp to collect points for their MINT-EC certificate. This award will later help them to be better accepted into their desired degree courses at universities or when applying for scholarships.
However, one thing was important for the twelfth-grader to emphasize: »Of course, it's not just about collecting points. I see taking part in the event as an opportunity to exchange ideas with others, gain valuable experience and discover new mathematical connections. We had a great dynamic in the group from the very first day – a shared interest is a direct bond.«
Your team is working under the heading »From numbers to epidemics: Which infection variant dominates?« and not only solved the mathematical puzzles well, but also won the rally. »Best wishes from the epidemics team« was the conclusion of the group's email. They were the quickest to solve the quiz. »The puzzles were great fun, we still had to do a bit of a puzzle with the letters, but then it was clear.«
Our Math Talent School is not only another building block for the MINT-EC certificate, but some of the participants are already students alongside school, like Niklas. The 17-year-old has been taking part in various math competitions and winning prizes since the fifth grade and has also been studying at the University of Augsburg since the winter semester 2023/2024. In his team, they deal with prime numbers. That sounds theoretical at first, but it wouldn't be the Math Talentschool if there was no practical relevance. »We first had to clarify the basis. The lectures I've already attended helped me with that. But then it was also about applications of prime numbers, such as in cryptography. There they are really very useful for encryption,« explains Niklas. Studying in Kaiserslautern is out of the question for him for the time being, at least during his Bachelor's degree; he would like to finish the course he has started in Augsburg. »But who knows, maybe then for a Master's degree. We've already seen the campus. It was very much what I imagine a campus university would be like.«
What he likes best, apart from the group work, is that you can make new friends. »I even happened to sleep in the same room as someone who also comes from Augsburg. We didn't know each other, but that gave us more to talk about,« says Niklas enthusiastically. »In our free time at the youth hostel, we play group games and some of us play music, including piano and guitar. It's a real highlight when we get together in the evening.«
Mila also raves about the evenings together with games and music. In her team, she is busy during the day in the workshop with cracks, more precisely, to find them with math. In addition to her passion for math and computer science, the 17-year-old has discovered art for herself: »This combination of subjects doesn't come up that often, but I think it's a good contrast. Math and computer science make me think a lot, and I can switch off in art.« And even art sometimes has something to do with math, because her dissertation has to deal with the golden ratio, so the two come together.
The twelfth-grader had a long journey: it takes between seven and eight hours by train from the small town of Leer in East Frisia to Kaiserslautern. Nevertheless, the city in the Palatinate Forest was not entirely unfamiliar to her: »During the last fall break, I was already here at the Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials and did an internship. I've already seen the campus and the Science Mile.« She came to Lautern more by chance back then; her dedicated math teacher recommended the internship to her and also put her in touch with the Talent School. She was already familiar with Fraunhofer, but had never heard of the Fraunhofer ITWM. She is also busy collecting points for the STEM certificate, but she is not yet sure whether she will return to the Palatinate to study, as art is another appealing option. »Professionally, I'm still in two minds, as I have two major interests. But I definitely want to go further afield to study.« The week at the Talent School certainly helps her at least to get an idea of what you can do with mathematics as a career.
Max, on the other hand, applied to the Talent School with very specific ideas: »I hope that the MINT-EC camp will give me an interesting insight into applied mathematics and that I will learn something about solving industrial problems with the help of mathematical models and computer simulations. I see my professional future in this problem-solving part of industry. Among other things, I could imagine using models to improve a company's quality management later on,« wrote the 18-year-old from Cologne in his application. Optimizing processes is also the focus of his project »Eat and be eaten« – more precisely, optimizing ecosystems.
The team also requires a lot of logical and analytical thinking, just like the student's other passion, as he regularly demonstrates these strengths in numerous chess tournaments. And who knows, maybe after his Abitur in Kaiserslautern at the RPTU, because Max can well imagine studying in Kaiserslautern. This is the perfect place to combine his studies with his chess hobby.
We wish all the Talents every success at the Abitur and hope to see them back in Kaiserslautern soon!
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM