Merck employees form yet another link between the company and “Jugend forscht” — not only through the dedication of the approximately 30 staff members who participate in the organization of the state competition, but also through the many scientists who took part in past competitions and now work at Merck.
This bridge between the promotion of young researchers in the natural sciences and current research work is built on the second day of the competition during a tour of the Merck facility. This gives the young men and women the opportunity to learn about the daily research and production work at Merck.

You can practically feel the excitement in the audience as the awards ceremony approaches. What have the expert panel members decided? The “Solar Pond” was issued third prize, a special award for environmental technology, and a Merck internship in the area of energy efficiency. Kristina, Céline, and Sina obviously had no reason to be disappointed — even though they weren’t included this time in the seven groups that will advance to the national competition.

What’s next for these three 12th-grade students, all of whom chose math as their advanced course and are also active in the Kassel Physics Club? They plan to do further work on the project for at least a year, because they are firmly convinced that their solar pond offers great potential for power generation in emerging markets. There are more than enough approaches that can be taken to improve the unit — for example, the use of membranes and films for further reducing currents in the water.

In any case, the three of them are still enthusiastic about research. Kristina is thinking of studying physics after she graduates from high school. “I couldn’t have imagined that a few years ago,” she says. Her change of mind came about in part through her participation in the Kassel Physics Club, which was the source of several research projects selected to compete in the Hesse state “Jugend forscht” competition. Physics obviously has a strong attraction.