Enthusiasm at the MINT Festival Jena

Right on the 1st day of the 3-day MINT Festival we were able to inspire pupils for optical phenomena. Two events were designed to be age-appropriate, focusing on (total) reflection and diffraction.
Dr. César Jáuregui-Misas conjured up astonished looks in the faces of an 8th grade class of the Abbe-Gynasium. He skillfully attracted the attention and the thirst for knowledge by magic tricks, which were then elucidated by the physical phenomena behind them.
In Ria Krämer's workshop, twelfth graders were able to try out the way students work by experimenting on their own. The understanding of the refractive behavior of light and its wave nature was promoted by means of optical gratings. - A good preparation for the Abitur!
Before and after the event, the students were offered a wide range of activities from the world of science at many information and hands-on booths and on a stage, which was enthusiastically accepted.
The MINT Festival shows how science and technology can inspire and reach young people, which is a very important impulse, especially in times of reduced teaching hours, lack of teachers and curriculum cuts.