Experimenting like grown-ups
From November, school students will also be able to experiment at the European XFEL. Bookings for the Xcool Lab are already possible.
Xcool Lab is European XFEL's new offer for school students. School classes and specialised courses at - initially - upper secondary level at all school types have the opportunity to experience science at first hand and investigate scientific questions from physics or molecular biology with independent experiments.
From November on, European XFEL will be offering various courses in two state-of-the-art laboratories in the "Lighthouse" visitor and conference centre, which is currently under construction. Bookings for the Xcool Lab can already be made at https://www.xfel.eu/xcoollab_en.
From Monday to Friday, the Xcool Lab will offer practical learning through research-related courses that are linked to the subject requirements at school. Participation is free of charge for school classes.
"In addition to existing activities such as guided tours, events and participation in Boys' and Girls' Day, we are delighted to be able to offer another highlight specifically tailored to school students," says Nicole Elleuche, Managing Director and Administrative Director of European XFEL. "We hope that we can convey fun and enthusiasm for our work and the natural sciences. Our aim is to make it tangible how important the work of international institutions is beyond science and that cooperation, tolerance and diversity also play a central role in experimentation and research. We are very excited about the initial feedback from the young people we will soon be welcoming here."
The two courses currently planned are "The invisible world of X-rays" and "On the trail of viruses". Both can be booked by upper school teachers. The courses start at nine in the morning and run until around 3.30 pm (including breaks). They are designed for a maximum of 32 participants and are offered both in English and German.
In the modern physics laboratory, various experiments provide insights into the generation of X-rays with free electrons and their utilisation. School students measure X-ray spectra based on Bragg reflection, deflect particles with magnetic fields and create diffraction images.
In the biology laboratory, school students learn how to pipette, duplicate gene sequences via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and separate nucleic acid strands according to their size. The course also provides an insight into determining and analysing Covid-19 variants, explains how PCR tests work, and opens up opportunities for discussions about artificially modified viruses. Participants can also learn how to analyse mutations using bioinformatics methods.
The construction costs for the Lighthouse amount to 15 million euros. The federal state of Schleswig-Holstein is contributing 2 million euros and one teaching position for the Xcool Lab. The remaining costs will be borne by the European XFEL partner countries in proportion to their shares, with Germany contributing 7.5 million euros in line with its 58 per cent share. The official opening is planned for the end of the year.
For some time now, European XFEL has been offering free educational material as part of a virus research initiative funded by the Joachim Herz Foundation. For more information, see:
https://www.xfel.eu/visitors/xcool_lab/open_educational_resources/index_eng.html
Further information on the Xcool Lab:
https://www.xfel.eu/xcoollab_en
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.xfel.eu/xcoollab_en (Further information on the Xcool Lab)
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