Children's university takes a close look at "future energy"
How can you produce electricity from wind? And how does water help to power machines? The fall season of the Siegen Children's University will focus on the topic of "Future Energy" in 2025. With exciting experiments and simple explanations, four scientists from different fields of research will provide answers on how to protect the environment and counteract climate change. The Children's University Siegen is aimed at children aged eight to twelve. Each child receives a children's university card on which they can collect stamps at each event. Those with at least three stamps receive a children's university diploma at the end. The meeting point for the lectures is Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in the Lecture Hall Center on the Lower Castle Campus in Siegen (room US-C 116). Further information and registration is possible via the Children's University website.
Children's University program at a glance
It all starts on September 9: Prof. Dr. Volker Michel will kick off the children's university with the questions: "Why is our earth getting warmer and warmer? And how do we find out?" Volker Michel is a geomathematician and researches climate change and global warming. To understand the history of temperatures, he takes the children on a journey through time - back to the beginning of weather records in 1850 and much further back...
On September 16 , Prof. Dr. Anna Katharina Beine, an expert in energy process engineering, will talk about hydrogen. The element is being discussed in the media and in science as a sustainable energy source - but what is hydrogen anyway? How can it be produced and stored? And how does a hydrogen car work? The lecture provides all the answers for young researchers.
"Water march!" is the motto on September 23: Prof. Dr. Jorge Leandro (Hydromechanics and Hydraulic Engineering) explains how water drives a machine and how exactly a hydropower plant works. In his lecture, the children will learn which civilizations were the first to use water to power machines and what the technical devices looked like back then. Jorge Leandro also explains why AC/DC is not just a rock'n'roll band, but is also connected to electricity and hydropower. The children can look forward to many practical examples.
At the end of the season on September 30 , they will (theoretically) reach lofty heights: Prof. Dr. Peter Kraemer (mechanics with a focus on damage monitoring) will address the questions: "How is wind turned into electricity? And what happens in a wind turbine?" Wind energy is of great importance for the energy supply - it is also worth taking a look behind the technology of the imposing "turbines on towers". In his lecture, Prof. Dr. Kraemer explains everything you need to know about the size, weight, costs and technology of wind turbines. He also explains whether wind turbines can be dangerous for humans or animals and what the differences are between land and sea wind turbines.
Anyone who would like to get a taste of the children's university atmosphere in advance will have the opportunity to do so on August 31, 2025 at 3 p.m. at the Herrengarten as part of the Siegen City Festival: the well-known non-fiction author Maja Nielsen will read from her book "Mit Jane Goodall bei den wilden Menschenaffen". The reading, followed by a discussion and Q&A session, will take place at the Haus der Wissenschaft stand. Dr. Jana Mikota will moderate the event. Registration is not necessary.
About the Children's University Siegen
The Siegen Children's University has been a cooperation between the University of Siegen and the Siegener Zeitung newspaper since 2007. The fall season is supported by Sparkasse Siegen, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and Siegen's public utilities (SVB).
