Science and engineering to discover, try out and get involved in. At the SFZ, knowledge comes to life – through workshops, projects, events, open sessions and further training courses. Find out what’s on right now and discover your next adventure!

An insight into the world of civil engineering for interested school classes in Years 9 to 12

Through ‘Insight into Engineering’, pupils gain authentic insights into current research and work areas in civil engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the Environment at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.

In cooperation with the Institute of Construction Engineering, school classes visit a selected area of work or research, depending on current research activities. During these visits, pupils experience first-hand how civil engineers use experiments, measurements and models to tackle real-world technical problems.

Possible visits include, for example:

• Wind tunnel: Experimental investigations on bridge models and insights into the effects of wind on structures
• Seismic station: Insights into the measurement and Visualization of seismic vibrations
• Geotechnics laboratory: Fascinating experiments to investigate soil and rock and their importance for safe structures

Which areas can be visited depends on the institute’s current capacity at the time of the visit.

The visits encourage participants to view the world of civil engineering from new perspectives. This may give rise to entirely new questions, such as:

Why do some houses remain standing during an earthquake whilst others do not?
How is wind taken into account when designing bridges?
Why do wind turbines not topple over in a storm?

These questions exemplify the diverse challenges faced by civil engineering. The focus is on engaging with current research and exploring how scientific insights and technical solutions shape our built environment.

Insight into Engineering + Science Discovery Centre

On request, the visit can be supplemented by a themed, hands-on activity at the Science Discovery Centre. This allows pupils to specialise in selected topics through practical and experimental activities.

The hands-on activities can be conducted in German or English. This allows the programme to be integrated with bilingual or subject-specific bilingual learning and offers the opportunity to use English in an authentic STEM context.

And perhaps, by the end of the visit, the pupils will take away not only new insights, but also a very personal question:

Will YOU build the structures of the future?

Number of participants: by arrangement
Recommended for: Years
9–12 Duration: by arrangement
The choice of research area is subject to availability.

Angebote des Schülerforschungszentrums im 1. Schulhalbjahr

Für das 1. Schulhalbjahr möchten wir Schulklassen die Möglichkeit bieten, verschiedene Angebote und Mitmach-Formate im Schülerforschungszentrum (SFZ) der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar kennenzulernen.

In der folgenden Übersicht finden Sie die verfügbaren Termine, die jeweils besonders geeigneten Klassenstufen sowie eine kurze Beschreibung der Angebote.

Die Angebote sind grundsätzlich so konzipiert, dass auch größere Schulklassen teilnehmen können. Die Klasse wird dafür in kleinere Gruppen aufgeteilt. Die einzelnen Stationen bzw. Durchläufe sind für bis zu 15 Schülerinnen und Schüler ausgelegt und werden bei Bedarf zweimal durchgeführt, sodass auch eine ganze Klasse am Angebot teilnehmen kann. Bei Angeboten, die aus mehreren Programmpunkten bestehen, können die Gruppen beispielsweise zwischen einer Führung, einer praktischen Station und weiteren Aktivitäten wechseln. 

Für größere Klassen steht zusätzlich ein weiterer Raum für freie bzw. ergänzende Aktivitäten zur Verfügung. In diesem Raum können Schülerinnen und Schüler beispielsweise weitere Mitmachangebote des SFZ nutzen. Für die Betreuung dieser Gruppe muss von der Schule eine Begleit- bzw. Betreuungsperson gestellt werden, da wir nicht an allen Terminen eine ausreichende personelle Besetzung für die parallele Betreuung von zwei Räumen gewährleisten können.

Wir haben ein neues, besonderes Programm „Insight into Engineering“ für Schulklassen ab der 9. Klasse entwickelt, das Schülerinnen und Schülern der Oberstufe einen vertieften Einblick in unsere ingenieurwissenschaftlichen Studiengänge an der Bauhaus-Universität Weimar ermöglicht. Mehr Informationen dazu finden Sie im nächsten Reiter.

The Kinder forschen Foundation is committed to early education in the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (MINT), as well as to education for sustainable development. It offers practical training courses and resources for educational specialists and teachers, and supports them in guiding children as they discover, explore and learn independently.

Below you will find the dates and registration details for the upcoming events taking place at the SFZ Weimar.

Nurseries and schools can be certified as a ‘place where children explore’, thereby demonstrating that they promote collaborative discovery, exploration and children’s self-efficacy. The certification is valid for two years and is awarded in the form of a plaque for the institution.

To obtain certification, institutions – depending on their size – take part in several training courses run by the Kinder forschen Foundation and carry out a STEM or sustainability project. The relevant training courses are offered both online and in person.

An overview of the training courses currently on offer in Thuringia, along with registration details, can be found on the ‘Stiftung Kinder forschen’ online campus.