“When I Grow up I Want to Be a Scientist“
The first time
the University opened its doors for children and teenagers was on the occasion
of the ten year anniversary of the discovery of Ötzi the Iceman in 2001. The
goal of the project was to invite all children regardless of their educational strata
to come to the University and interest them in science – with great success. Since
then the formats of the children’s university of the University of Innsbruck
and the University of Tubingen, developed almost at the same time, have been
adopted by almost 100 other academic institutions in Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, England, Slovakia and Columbia. The Head of the University of
Innsbruck Tilman Märk regards the Young Uni as an investment in the future: “The
University of Innsbruck provides an important service to our society as it brings
science and research to young people in a playful manner and at an early age. Sparking
interest in science, using the natural curiosity of children and combining this
with science and education early on, are the essentials for developing a knowledge-based
economy.“
The Innsbruck
concept has indeed been successful: On average every year more than 10,000
children and teenagers attend and participate in the events organized by the
Young Uni. Thus, the organization and implementation of the project has become
an important aspect of the University’s mission for education and eventually,
it is also important for promoting young scientists.
Added value for society
In contrast to the lectures and mass events organized by many other children’s
universities, the Young Uni Innsbruck has always offered mainly interactive
workshops for children and teenagers. “Our young guests work and talk with
scientists in small working groups. The leading principles are ‘hands on’ and ‘learning
by doing’. Another important goal of our Young Uni is to appeal to young people
from lower education strata of society in order to help to overcome social
obstacles or the fear of the unknown,” says Silvia Prock project manager of the
Young Uni Innsbruck about the concept of the project.
In addition to the main event days, Prock’s team has developed several other events
over the years. One of these projects is ‘Young Uni Multi Culti’, which is
especially designed for children with different cultural and social backgrounds
to overcome social barriers or obstacles. This helps to counter negative
preconceptions of higher education institutions already developed at
kindergarten age. Moreover, the Young Uni participates in the summer program
for Innsbruck’s school children and supports many other initiatives that aim to
interest children and teenagers in science and art.
Setting out into new worlds
This year the University of Innsbruck opened its doors for the Tyroleans again: More than 3,000 children and teenagers together with their teachers and parents came to experience science first-hand. The slogan of the event days was Setting out into New Worlds. Many scientists from the humanities and the arts, the natural and technical sciences participated in the program. They showed their young guests what they are working on and offered numerous opportunities to try out science themselves. It is no surprise that afterwards many children and teenagers expressed the clear wish: “When I grow up, I want to be a scientist!“