Hands-On Physics: Project Week at Ruhr University Bochum

The Physics Project Week took place again during the Easter break at Ruhr University Bochum. Female highschool students in grades 8 to 10 could choose from a variety of workshops. In our workshop, "From Plasma to Gold Coating," the future researchers investigated the properties of plasmas and learned about plasma coating applications through experimentation. In the laboratories at the Chair of Plasma Physics, they were able to experience current research firsthand and look over the scientists’ shoulders.

The project week also had the theme "Our Exotic Universe." During an engaging introductory lecture, the students learned about neutrinos, the invisible messengers of the cosmos. Another highlight was the visit to the Bochum Planetarium. There, the students traveled to extreme places in the cosmos, such as exploding stars, black holes, and particles moving at nearly the speed of light. They explored the question of how we can peer into the depths of the universe in the process. During the astronomy show, the students followed scientists from Bochum and the surrounding area to modern telescopes in various locations around the world, and even to Antarctica, where neutrinos from space can be detected.