Science camp “Top Models in Science” at IST Austria inspires teenagers

The elementary school children had hardly left IST Austria at the end of the summer campus, when children of the next-higher age group had already gathered at the campus in Klosterneuburg: 23 teenagers between the ages of 11 and 16 attended the event “Top Models in Science: Science too needs models “. During this science camp, in the realm of the “Talent Summer in Klosterneuburg”, which happens in cooperation with the “Niederösterreichischen Talenteschmiede and the ”Institut zur Förderung des IT-Nachwuchses (IFIT)”, teenagers received exciting insights into the world of science and technology development for five days.

The theme of “Top Models in Science” was all about how scientific models can be translated into technical innovations, especially in the form of startups. The teenagers thought about prototypes of products that could improve the world. These were then planned, built and tested during the week. The summer camp began with a lecture by the physicist Daniela Klammer on models in science and their applications. Alexander Fischl from IST Austria Tech Transfer then illustrated the realization of technical innovation in startups. The participants then developed their own projects, ranging from a gardening robot with temperature sensor, to assisting robots with color recognition, to new architectural lightweight concepts from the 3D printer. Furthermore, the teenagers got insights into the research on quantum computers and 3D printers, and how electron microscopes at the IST Austria work.

Bernhard Löwenstein from the cooperation partner IFIT was delighted with the possibilities offered by the “Top Models in Science” summer camp: “It is great that the teenagers here can get an insight into science and meet researchers. The participant Niklas Oberhuber was just as enthusiastic: “I really like the independent work on my own projects and the competent support from the supervisors.” Alexander Schwartz from IST Austria Tech Transfer attended the final presentation of the ideas and was pleased with the diversity of the projects: “Both practical and broad social topics were discussed during the final presentation in the questions and comments of the participants. The sustainability of the products was also considered.”

“Top Models in Science” was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and carried out together with the “Niederösterreichische Talenteschmiede and the “Institut zur Förderung des IT-Nachwuchses (IFIT)” on the campus of the IST Austria in Klosterneuburg.