Wintershall Dea fosters inquiring minds

• 13th MINT Student Congress of the Student Research Center North Hesse (SFN) from July 12 to 14
• Lectures, workshops and experiments planned for students of all ages
• Award ceremony for the FutureSpace MINT competition for refugee children and youths
• Wintershall Dea supports the SFN and the FutureSpace as one of the main sponsors

The 13th MINT Student Congress is once again being supported by Wintershall Dea as one of the main sponsors of the Student Research Center North Hesse (SFN). From July 12 to 14, pupils of all ages can experience research projects in the fields of mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology (MINT) up close together and conduct their own experiments.

In his opening speech at the MINT Student Congress, Klaus Langemann, Senior Vice President Carbon Management and Hydrogen at Wintershall Dea, said: "We are evolving from Europe’s leading independent natural gas and oil company into a leading gas and carbon management company. For this very reason, it is great for us to see how the foundation for tomorrow’s technologies are being laid here in Kassel. The level at which the bright young minds here are researching, discovering and inquiring impresses again and again every year."

Another program highlight of the opening event was the award ceremony for the "MI(N)T-EINANDER" competition. It was launched in January 2023 at FutureSpace for children and youths aged 12 and older with and without a refugee or migration background. Since the beginning of the year, Wintershall Dea has been promoting integration projects for children and young people with a refugee background in cooperation with FutureSpace and SFN. The young people were invited to develop ideas for MINT projects and implement them with the support of the FutureSpace supervisors. A FutureSpace/Wintershall Dea jury evaluated them and awarded the winning projects with well-deserved prizes: First place went to project “Time Travel“, which won a flight above the clouds. Second place went to project ”Prion Diseases in Humans – Are Prions the Perfect Killers?”. The team was invited to an exclusive VIP show at the Kassel Planetarium followed by ice cream. Project "LEGO clean up robot" qualified for third place. The team can test their knowledge of gravity in a climbing course.

The MINT Student Congress attracts young talents nationwide and on an international scale. "The Student Research Center North Hesse is much more than just an educational institution – it is where values such as internationality, diversity and intercultural understanding are lived out through the exchange of ideas and work on joint projects," Langemann emphasizes.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the many young MINT talents in person again this year and to strengthening Kassel as a location for science and research," says Guido Eckhardt, deputy director of the SFN.

In cooperation with other student research centers, the SFN is again offering many events in German and English this year. Young researchers and experts from various research institutions will provide insights into topics ranging from fabric production from nettles through hacking to artificial intelligence and climate change.

With three presentations ("Methanation – simply explained", "Cracking the code: de-mystifying Data Science & Artificial Intelligence" and "The exploration of oil and gas"), Wintershall Dea is actively participating in the wide-ranging program of the 13th MINT Students‘ Congress this year and making the disciplines of mathematics, information technology, natural sciences and technology a hands-on experience. Wintershall Dea is also supporting the work of the SFN throughout the year, where more than 40 employees advise young research enthusiasts on their independent projects.