Future Day is aimed at students in grades 5 through 9 and aims to introduce them to career prospects that go beyond traditional gender roles. The goal is to spark new interests and highlight potential paths for their own futures.
At HITec, this day has long been a fixture on the annual calendar. The Einstein-Elevator team, in particular, works enthusiastically every year to put together a varied and hands-on program. This time, around 30 children had the chance to explore the unique research facility at Leibniz University Hannover.
To start things off, participants were given a tour of the institute’s facilities, followed by a clear and concise introduction to how the Einstein-Elevator works. The approximately 40-meter-high drop tower uses a specially powered gondola to simulate weightlessness as well as various other gravitational conditions - such as those on the Moon or Mars.
A special highlight was conducting experiments independently under weightless conditions. Using selected experiments from the QuantumFrontiers MasterClasses, the participants were able to get hands-on. The experiments in the small drop capsules were recorded and then evaluated together, providing an authentic insight into scientific work.
To conclude, the participants were able to get a sense of the experimental process on a larger scale, in the Einstein-Elevator. This allowed the students not only to conduct experiments themselves but also to look over the researchers’ shoulders as they went about their daily work and experience what research actually looks like in everyday life.
