© BMWi/Andreas Mertens
Sparking the interest of generations
What a clever idea: a smartphone buoy that is powered by solar energy and sends metering data collected offshore to the coastguard. The young researchers Phillipp Müller, Fabian Haas and Niklas Nathmann have put that idea into practice and successfully participated in the "Jugend forscht" competition: in the 2015 federal competition, they were awarded the special prize in the field of renewable energies.
Uwe Beckmeyer, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, received the winners of the special prizes at federal and regional levels of the last three years in Berlin. State Secretary Beckmeyer praised their work by saying: "The teams have presented fantastic research projects and demonstrated their commitment to the energy transition. I am very confident that the next generation of scientists will further advance the transformation of our energy supply."
More chances to win the special prize
In order to spark the interest of young people in doing research in the field of renewable energies, the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy will continue to be the patron and provide funding for the special prize for another three years.
Every year the "Jugend forscht" Foundation carries out more than 110 competitions nationwide in order to spark the interest of children and young people in the STEM subjects and to detect young talents at an early stage and promote them in a targeted way. The competitions thus also serve as vocational orientation. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and maths. The special prize in the field of renewable energies aims to spark the interest of young people in doing scientific work in the field of renewables. At federal level, the prize is funded with 1,500 euros; since 2014, it has been awarded by the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy.