Let the MINT summer begin! Karlsruhe MINT festival and vacation program for school students

It is important for children and young people to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of research and science at an early age. And let’s be honest. For parents, vacation care is essential. The Karlsruhe MINT Festival and a diverse MINT vacation program make a varied and meaningful vacation program possible. The MINT summer can come!

Why should children and young people spend their vacations learning about mathematics, computer science, natural sciencesand technology, or STEM for short? Don’t they already have to learn enough at school and should have more fun during the vacations?
A legitimate question – with a very simple answer: STEM is fun! And it really is.
Furthermore: children are our future. Our society is facing enormous challenges, such as climate change and the digital transformation. These challenges require new ideas and solutions that can only be developed through the consistent use of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology – the STEM subjects. In short: children and young people need to understand in order to shape their world.

This makes it all the more problematic that fewer and fewer people are studying in this field. According to statistics, a total of 307,059 people began studying STEM subjects at German universities in 2021 – 6.5 percent fewer than in 2020 and even 12.5 percent fewer than in 2017. Of course, this is also due to the fact that fewer people started studying overall as a result of the pandemic. But the decline was particularly sharp in the STEM subjects.

MINT Festival: On your marks, technology, go!

That’s why it’s essential to spark interest and enthusiasm for these subjects at an early age. We need to motivate the next generation to get involved in STEM. And the best way to do this is to have fun and to take the results of the children’s and young people’s work seriously. This is exactly where the Karlsruhe MINT Festival comes in. That’s why karlsruhe.digital supports this great event.

On June 30, 2023, the SteamWork in Karlsruhe will be transformed into a vibrant stage for technology projects by school students from 4 to 9 p.m. Under the motto “On your marks, technology, go!”, Lord Mayor Dr. Frank Mentrup will open the city’s first STEM festival. With him, the whole of Karlsruhe celebrates what has been achieved in technology education: award-winning “Jugend forscht” projects, results from technology working groups and practical work by mechatronics students.

The focus is on exchange: with students, experts and companies. Partners such as the Institute for Product Development (KIT), Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Siemens AG and many more make an important contribution.

MINT Festival: Free admission

“Every child should have the opportunity to get involved in STEM. Not everyone has to become a technician, computer scientist or engineer. But it should be made possible for those who are interested,” explains Stephan Kallauch, STEM coordinator at technika – Karlsruer Technik Initiative im CyberForum. “Making STEM education possible for children can result in a win-win-win situation for everyone: Children can engage in things they enjoy. Companies get a higher number of qualified specialists. And society benefits from great technological innovations.”

Anyone with a passion for technology will be rewarded. From demonstrators to robots, such as the ANYmal robot, many small and large surprises await the guests. The official opening begins at 4 p.m., followed by tours of the various technology projects. DELI DOZE will be providing refreshments.

An admission ticket is not necessary – the event is free to attend.

MINT summer vacation program in Karlsruhe

The MINT Festival also marks the start of a whole series of activities in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology that will be offered in Karlsruhe during the summer vacation:

• KIT Children’s UniversityFrom August 1 to 17, 2023, students between the ages of seven and fourteen are invited to the KIT campus to immerse themselves in the fascinating world of research and science on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Further KIT offers for children and young people can be found here.
• Karlsruhe School Academy: From “Innovative ideas to improve the urban climate” to the “Science Camp Electrical Engineering”, the range on offer at the Pupils’ Academy makes the hearts of STEM fans beat faster.
• Summer holiday program “3D printing”: The 3D Matter Made to Order (3DMM2O) Cluster of Excellence is organizing a summer programme for young women aged between 13 and 19. It aims to give schoolgirls with an interest in STEM an insight into how 3D printing works.
• SummerKinderCollege of the DHWB Karlsruhe: For the first time since the pandemic, the SummerKinderCollege of the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Karlsruhe is once again taking place in person. The program is aimed at inquisitive children between the ages of seven and 14 and offers an exciting hands-on topic for every interest.
• Those interested can find more exciting offers during the vacation season at the Karlsruhe vacation portal.

The MINT Festival is supported by: karlsruhe.digital, inovex, Siemens, dmTECH, FZI, NDT Global.