MINTme!
Bringing Science to Life
Since 2022, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has been funding the MINT cluster “MINT me!” at the University of Tübingen. The project aims to enhance the visibility of student lab offerings in the Neckar-Alb region, consolidate extracurricular learning opportunities through public outreach, and further develop them. This initiative seeks to inspire students to engage with STEM subjects and gain practical insights into STEM career fields. The Siemens Foundation is responsible for coordinating and integrating digital learning formats specifically tailored to the needs of STEM education.
Project
„MINT me!” poromotes STEM understanding through extracurricular learning opportunities
In the student labs, students experience science up close. Here, they have the opportunity to conduct experiments independently and gain a behind-the-scenes look at research. As part of the “MINTme!” project, such offerings are being made more visible for the Neckar-Alb region.
“At the center of all extracurricular learning opportunities is the question: How can research processes be illustrated using relevant, job-specific, and everyday questions?”, explains Professor Stefan Schwarzer (Chemistry Education), who leads the project together with Professor Uwe Ilg (Neuroscience Student Lab) and Felix Pawlak (Chemistry Education). The blended learning approach also creates a sustainable link between extracurricular learning opportunities and regular school lessons.
“MINT me!” aims to counteract the shortage of skilled workers in the STEM sector in the economically strong Neckar-Alb region. In addition, the network seeks to establish an organizational structure for further activities, such as teacher training courses or professional internships. Scientific support from STEM education experts ensures the quality of the learning opportunities.
Key Components of the Project:
Development of a Web Portal with OER Materials
As part of the “MINT me!” project, a web portal has been developed that serves as a central hub for supplementary STEM activities at the University of Tübingen. The portal offers teachers and students free Open Educational Resources (OER)—teaching and learning materials that are free of charge, available under open licenses, and therefore provided for use, adaptation, and sharing. The goal is to make education accessible to everyone, regardless of geographical or financial constraints. Over the coming months, the offerings on the website will be continuously supplemented and expanded.
Blended Learning Offer
The focus of the supplementary STEM activities is on linking extracurricular learning opportunities with regular school lessons through a blended learning approach. In preparatory online courses, students’ prior knowledge is activated and expanded. They can then directly apply this knowledge in student labs. This approach combines face-to-face activities with digital learning formats to enable deeper integration into the curriculum and is being further researched within the project.
Practical Insights into Career Fields
Short video clips from real-world practice illustrate how student labs establish a direct connection to various career fields. These videos highlight the career opportunities that student lab activities can open up for students.
Partners
“MINT me!” is a collaborative project of the Chemistry Education department (Prof. Dr. Stefan Schwarzer and Dr. Felix Pawlak) and the Neuroscience Student Lab (Prof. Uwe Ilg) at the University of Tübingen, in collaboration with BBQ Tübingen, the City of Tübingen, the Siemens Foundation, and 14 other partners (including the Tübingen AI Center, Cyber Valley, and the excellence clusters iFIT and CMFI).
Contact
Would you like to collaborate with us? Or do you have questions?
Project leadership MINTme!
Fabian Franz
fabian.franz@siemens-stiftung.org
Head of Education
Dr. Barbara Filtzinger
barbara.filtzinger@siemens-stiftung.org
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen I Chemistry Education
Prof. Dr. Stefan Schwarzer
stefan.schwarzer@uni-tuebingen.de
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen I Chemistry Education
Dr. Felix Pawlak
felix.pawlak@uni-tuebingen.de
Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen I Student Laboratory Neuroscience
Professor Uwe Ilg
uwe.ilg@uni-tuebingen.de