Successful premiere of HFU Summer School 2024
Studying during the 2024 summer holidays, and voluntarily at that? Of course! Under the motto “Summer, sun, science”, professors from the Faculties of Medical and Life Sciences (MLS) and Business Administration and Engineering (WING) on the Schwenningen and Furtwangen campuses presented lectures for everyone aged ten and over during the summer holidays − always entertaining, and anything but dry.
The first event was particularly wet, at least on the screen − Andreas Fath, the “swimming professor”, showed the film “Bis ins Meer”. It documents his research trip from the source to the mouth of the Danube as he swam the entire distance. This was followed by a lively discussion on the topic of water protection.
The second lecture by Professor Constanze Kiese was about first aid for and by children and young people, and was very practical − those present practiced chest compressions with enthusiasm and learned how to treat burns or even chase away a biting shark, just in time for the start of the summer holidays.
Professor Hanna Niemann also went on a journey with her audience: she followed the path that a Weckle takes as soon as we eat it. What stages does it go through and how long does it actually stay in our gastrointestinal tract? There were not only different types of flour as illustrative material, but also something for everyone to chew on.
The next Summer School lecture took us to Hollywood − Professor Magnus Schmidt used film clips and live experiments to show how science works in film and television. He didn't leave out Dr. Jekyll's elixir or Professor Snape's magic potions. And even time travel was on the programme − in Jules Verne's time machine, the TARDIS from Dr. Who, or Doc Brown's DeLorean!
The experimental lecture with Professor Christian Krause and Professor Gerhard Kirchner was also an adventure. From mechanics to electricity, they demonstrated to their audience what physics has to offer and that electrical voltage can also be exciting entertainment.
At the end of the Summer School, things were very relaxed − Professor Matthias Bollinger told the story of anaesthesia from its beginnings to the present day − and of the recovery room at the Schwarzwald-Baar-Klinikum, where children are given an ice cream after an operation. Both children and adults in the audience felt that they could go into the operating theater with peace of mind.
Up to fifty people were in the audience at the Summer School lectures to learn, laugh and be amazed. Children who attended three or more events received a small surprise and a certificate at the end of the series. The HFU Summer School will enter its second round in summer 2025.