Shaking hands and experimenting with the Federal Research Minister

Anja Karliczek, Federal Minister of Education and Research, visited the HZB student laboratory exhibit. Photo: BMBF

Anja Karliczek, Federal Minister of Education and Research, visited the HZB student laboratory exhibit. Photo: BMBF

Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek visited the tent of the school laboratories in the Helmholtz Association at the German government's Open Day this weekend. Employees of the Alfred Wegener Institute, DESY and HZB experimented with the visitors at the invitation of the BMBF. "We have two great days behind us with many interesting encounters, curious children and lots of action," says Dr. Ulrike Witte from the HZB school laboratory.

What exactly is light? The HZB school laboratory team had brought some experiments to answer this question for the visitors. Using self-built spectroscopes, they examined various light sources. Visitors could mix their favourite colours and study the composition of different colours on a "light desk".

Those who had a taste for it could take the brochure of the school laboratories in the Helmholtz Association with them and continue tinkering at home - including an infrared camera, a shaking lamp or electrically conductive plasticine.

The Federal Government counted more than 130,000 visits to the Chancellor's Office, the Federal Press Office and 14 federal ministries.

(sz)