It is rare for MPL to welcome such young guests who have already impressed with outstanding projects – a special event for the institute. With topics such as ion engines, quantum algorithms, and thermal materials physics, they are among the best young researchers in Germany. “Jugend forscht” is Germany’s best-known competition for young people in the field of STEM promotion and is aimed at particularly committed school and university students who develop new ideas and solutions through their own research work. The winners of the national competition in the field of physics received an invitation to MPL – a place where the fascination with light, matter, and their interaction takes center stage.

The program was tailored to the interests of the young physics talents and began the evening before with a screening of the documentary film “Tracing Light – Die Magie des Lichts” (Tracing Light – The Magic of Light), which was filmed at MPL, among other locations. The next day, the visitors were offered a wide range of insights into the basic research conducted at MPL: from a lecture on quantum physics and artificial intelligence by Managing Director Prof. Florian Marquardt to demonstrations in the glass studio and the microphotonics and quantum optoacoustics laboratories. The young people were able to ask the scientists questions directly, engage in technical discussions, and experience everyday research firsthand.

From the director to the master’s students, the MPL staff were impressed by the seriousness and enthusiasm of the young guests, who absorbed every detail with great interest – and often delved surprisingly deeply into physical questions.“It’s great to get an insight into different institutions and research groups, even if you haven’t dealt with some of the topics before,” said one of the participants after the visit. “The opportunity to talk to researchers was fantastic,” added another one.

Encounters such as the visit of the “Jugend forscht” national winners to MPL are an important contribution to promoting the next generation of scientists. They help to show how much curiosity and commitment will shape the science of tomorrow.

Photos © MPL, Susanne Viezens