Technical University of Munich: Fascinating lectures for young researchers

Raising enthusiasm for science and instilling a passion for research is the declared objective of Munich’s KinderUni children’s university. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has five lectures for KinderUni participants at the Technical University of Munich campus in downtown Munich as well as at the TUM Garching campus. The target group comprises children between the ages of seven and 12 years.

It all begins on Friday, October 28 with a lecture on “Sharks, Ants and Trees – What Can Animals and Plants Teach Us for Our Technology?” Zoology Professor Harald Luksch told the children about bionics, i.e. adapting successful strategies from nature for application in human technologies.
On November 18 IT specialist Professor Gudrun Klinker will speak on Augmented Reality, the digital enhancement of our real perceptions. This technology can already be found on many smart phones today and is used for example in computer games, for navigation and for translation applications.
On December 19 physician Professor Markus Ploner will tell the children about why living beings sometimes have pain and why this can be a thoroughly useful function. Professor Ploner’s research concentrates primarily on the way the brain processes pain.
On January 13 Professor Laura Fabbietti will guide the participants through the world of particle physics. She is conducting experiments here on earth in order to find out what happens inside neutron stars. Her main goal: A better understanding of the nature of our universe.
The series concludes with chemist Professor Johann Plank on January 20; he’ll speak on why the earth is continuously getting hotter. He’ll share experiments with the children which illustrate what we can do when constructing buildings in order to protect ourselves against higher temperatures.