How does the hangover get into the muscle?

Brita Stingl

What colours does light have? Why do animals make us happy? How do the letters get into the newspaper? What actually is politics? How does a hangover get into my muscle? The youngest students at Chemnitz University of Technology deal with these often amusing questions. The seven to twelve-year-olds take part in the Children's University. For the past ten years, it has been a favourite with both young and old guests. Much to the delight of organiser Dipl.-Päd. Brita Stingl, the organiser of the children's university.

How did you come up with this idea in 2009?
Brita Stingl: I have to admit that there was already a format with lectures for families at Chemnitz University in 2009. These were the so-called "Sunday lectures" - an open programme for families. At the time, I came from TU Dresden, where I had learnt about the children's university format. I found the idea of preparing scientific topics in a child-friendly way and presenting them to a young audience very exciting and suggested setting up a children's university in Chemnitz too.

How was the response?
Our programme was immediately very well received. We were able to find great topics from the immediate vicinity of the university right from the start. As one of the first children's university lecturers, I was able to secure a psychology professor who spoke on "Do animals make you happy?". The topic was an absolute magnet. Almost every child wants a pet and so the lecture explained the advantages and disadvantages of having a pet, the Maslow pyramid of needs - attention, now it's getting scientific - and made it understandable for the children. The professor brought his therapy dog with him as a backdrop. He stood quietly on the podium the whole time during the lecture and watched the children. That was a great introduction. Another highlight was the physics topic "What colours does light have?": This was also a lecture that immediately attracted many junior students and got everyone excited as countless experiments were shown.

How do you actually come up with ideas?
I often orientate myself to the children's wishes. That's why we always conduct surveys in the lectures. This is how we find exciting topics, such as questions about heroes in comics or cars that will run without petrol in the future. I then look to see if there are any professors at our university whose specialisms would be suitable and who can explain the topics in question in a child-friendly and clear way. It's great that many professors now approach me themselves with suggestions for topics. There is also a great deal of willingness from partners outside the TU. We've had everything from radio stations and newspapers to the fire brigade and the police.

Around seven lectures are offered each year - three in the summer semester and four in the winter semester. The "favourites" are experimental lectures and lectures with a big show effect. On 16 January 2011, there was a record number of visitors: 700 children wanted to know how electricity gets into the socket. 30 experimental stations were set up in the lecture theatre. Parents and grandparents were placed in the neighbouring lecture theatre, where they could follow the event via video. "These are topics that inspire. The physicists showed their entire repertoire and set up lots of great experiments to explain the topic clearly to the children and get them involved," says Brita Stingl, still raving about the lecture.

What do you want to achieve with the Children's University?
The aim of the Children's University is to awaken children's interest and curiosity in scientific topics at an early age. We also want to show that Chemnitz has a great university with incredibly cool researchers and exciting areas of knowledge. Lifelong learning is not a slogan at Chemnitz University of Technology, but a way of life. That's why we recognise that children are just as important a target group as students when it comes to imparting knowledge. Of course, we look forward to welcoming one or two junior students into the lecture theatre as real students later on.

Have you already succeeded?
I assume so. The target group for the Children's University is children aged seven to twelve. We started the format ten years ago, so students who attended our lectures in the early years could well be studying at the TU today.

For 39-year-old Brita Stingl, the Children's University is a matter close to her heart. Her main tasks at Chemnitz University of Technology lie in the areas of transfer and continuing education. "With a successful transfer of knowledge and technologies, we as a university can strengthen the region and form profitable collaborations between science, society and business through active partnerships. This involves the utilisation of scientific results and the support of spin-offs, as well as the transfer of knowledge in the area of in-service training, but also in the context of the Children's University or the Senior Citizens' College," she explains.

What is the feedback from the children after a lecture?
Definitely honest (laughs). Children don't mince their words and say whether the lecture was exciting or too complicated. The lecturers often receive relatively quick and open feedback on this. At the end of the lecture, the children like to ask surprising and sometimes unusual questions, which sometimes make the lecturers sweat a little.

Where do you get your motivation from? The preparation is time-consuming and the events take place on Sundays.
Organising the children's university is simply a great and, above all, rewarding subject. Children are a curious and inquisitive audience who can clearly express their joy and amazement about topics. I usually receive feedback from the children and sometimes also from their parents immediately after a lecture and often receive a thank you. It's a lot of fun to come up with interesting and exciting topics for children and to see how the lecturers are able to explain difficult subjects in an understandable way.

Do the lectures always take place in the largest lecture theatre at Chemnitz University of Technology?
Actually, yes. Depending on the topics, we sometimes take place in the town hall or the zoo.

Is it easy to get speakers interested?
Actually, yes. It's also always exciting to see that lecturers who have been speaking to students for years are a bit nervous when it comes to children. However, as soon as they realise how the children are involved and, unlike students, ask questions or approach the microphone without shyness, the excitement falls away. Nowadays, the speakers are even asked to sign the children's study books.

Was there an event that you feared might be difficult or not suitable for children?
(laughs) One example that I'm happy to give: I asked Bernadette Malinowski, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at the TU and a recognised literature expert, if she could talk about literature for children and young people. I was thinking of children's books. She was delighted with the enquiry and agreed. When I asked for the exact title of her lecture for the pre-announcement, the answer was: I will be talking about Goethe's Faust. Admittedly, I was rather sceptical about this. But she did a great job. She had several students and a professor with her who read out parts of Faust in role play. The children were fully involved by working through each scene with them so that they really understood what Goethe's Faust was about. This showed me that it doesn't always have to be a typical topic suitable for children. You should never underestimate children.

The topic of the next lecture is "Can people buy superpowers in the future?". How did this come about?
Our lecturer Prof Dr Bertolt Meyer has an artificial hand himself, a prosthesis. Among other things, he is researching how modern bionic technology - such as prostheses - is changing stereotypes about people with disabilities. In addition to its technical appearance, his hand is a real high-tech model. Among other things, he will tell the children how the bionic hand makes his everyday life easier. He will certainly also bring along a few examples from competitive sport.

But that also sounds challenging for children.
Yes, perhaps it will be. But I'm sure that Prof Meyer will respond very well to the children.

Final question: We want to be the Capital of Culture in 2025. How do you feel about that?
I think it's an ambitious goal. We have set up a junior professorship in "European Culture and Civil Society" at the university to support the bid. I also frequently take part in the consultations of the Chemnitz 2025 Capital of Culture steering group. I think Chemnitz has a lot to offer - we just don't talk about it enough. There are so many interesting and innovative formats in Chemnitz. We should publicise this more. We can get a message across with the application: Chemnitz has a diverse and multifaceted cultural and creative industry. We can also clearly lead the way with the topic of industrial culture. The Capital of Culture application is a great opportunity to communicate this throughout Europe.