Children, young adults, and aspiring citizen scientists of all ages can join us at this year´s Explore Science in Mannheim to delve into the science behind frozen ground thawing, maps of changing landscapes and much more, with plenty of interactive experiences about climate and environment.
HeiGIT is thrilled to participate in this year´s edition of Explore Science, an event organized by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, which offers five days of engaging science activities for children, teenagers and families.
This large-scale, open-air event aims to spark interest in science from a young age. Visitors can wander among the pavilions, discovering experiments and hands-on activities, guided by their own curiosity. The event also features school competitions and a stage program with talks and shows by scientists, science journalists, and schoolchildren.
This year, everything revolves around “Climate and Environment”. The event takes place from June 12 to 16, 2024, at Herzogenriedpark in Mannheim.
HeiGIT will participate to this year´s Explore Science with an interactive pavilion in collaboration with HITS and a keynote on the climate crisis and how we talk about it.
At our pavilion (“Mitmachstation“), young visitors from the age of 14 onward will find hands-on activities related to our work at HeiGIT and in particular to the UndercoverEisAgenten project. The Arctic is warming up rapidly. This project allows children and teens to become “UndercoverEisAgenten”, investigating the consequences of permafrost thawing due to climate change and learning how to study and map these changes.
UndercoverEisAgenten is a collaboration among the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and HeiGIT. More information about the project, its mapping application and a short film about its latest arctic expedition can be found on our blog and YouTube channel.
Additionally, Kirsten von Elverfeldt will deliver a talk titled “Stellt euch vor, es ist Klimakrise und niemanden interessiert’s” (“Just suppose there is a climate crisis and no one cares”). In her contribution, Kirsten will show why climate change seems unbelievable and incomprehensible, embarking on a journey through 100 years of climate change communication and discussing what has gone wrong with our communication efforts and, most importantly, what we can do now. The talk takes place on Wednesday, June 12, at 11 am and is especially targeted at young adults from the age of 16 onward.
Admission to the event and participation to all activities are free of charge with prior registration. Check out the official website for more information.
(Photo: Klaus Tschira Stiftung)