Forscherinnen-Camp 2018: 12 schoolgirls, 5 days, one project

#Day 1: Introductory day at Rosenheim Technical University 

Twelve girls, five days, one project: This morning, the camp participants arrived at the university, excited and a bit nervous. The first item on the agenda: a warm welcome by the project partners and the official announcement of the researchers’ assignment. This was symbolically printed on a large poster. The young researchers confirmed with their signatures: “We accept this assignment!” Their challenge for the week: designing a display for a refrigerator that shows in real time which foods are stored and retrieved.

After the official introduction, the girls got to know the university and its wide range of study subjects. In order to prepare their research project, they attended a lecture and tested their skills in the computer science lab.

#Day 2: Getting started with the project work

Today, the young researchers learned about the “world of IoT”. IoT stands for “Internet of Things”. It means that more and more everyday objects will be Internet-enabled in the future – and can thus be networked and controlled. First, our colleague Christian Schnebinger, Sales Manager IoT at Kathrein Solutions, gave a short introduction. Then, Dr. Stoyan Iliev, Head of Hardware Development at Kathrein Solutions, presented the project in detail.

Afterwards, the girls worked in groups at different stations, which were essential for implementing their project: One group learned more about the selection of suitable transponders, the other immersed itself in the world of RFID readers and the third group started to design the display for the fridge using HTML and CSS. As the groups rotate, each participant gets to know each part of the project by the end of the camp.

#Day 3: Research assignment completed

The project work continued today: The participants were busy working at the various stations and then compiling their results.

Highlight of the day was an interview with female engineers. Our colleagues Claudia Daurer, Andrea Perl and Susanne Kuerschner informed the girls about career perspectives and development possibilities of an engineer and the girls were able to ask their questions openly.

#Day 4: Team fun

After working on the project for three days, the task on day 4 was to take all the results and create a presentation, in which the young researchers could present their project to the audience the next day. The creative morning was followed by an excursion to a canopy trail. That was a fun challenge and welded the team together.

#Day 5: The big day

An exciting week ended today: On this last day of the camp, the students presented the results of their research assignment in a creative way – and mastered this task with flying colours. Their parents as well as representatives from Kathrein, the university and the bbw also attended the event at Rosenheim Technical University. A get together and snacks rounded off the event.

What the participants said:

"The camp was great and a lot of fun."

Svenja, 15

“I really liked the camp – and I will really miss some of the girls. As we all come from different parts of Bavaria, we won’t see each other again any time soon.”

Charlotte, 15

Click here for the picture gallery.