European Olympiad of Experimental Science 2022 - the German national team has been selected

The two German national teams for the European Olympiad of Experimental Science 2022 (EOES) have been selected after an exciting digital selection round.

The European Olympiad of Experimental Science (formerly European Science Olympiad - EUSO) is a competition for students up to the age of 16 working together in teams of three to solve interdisciplinary experimental problems. In each case, one expert is responsible for biology, chemistry or physics. Since a team competition was not feasible in attendance under the current pandemic conditions, just like last year an online selection competition with experimental team exams was arranged.

A total of 15 invited students from the 3rd rounds of the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Olympiad selection competitions and from last year's Junior Science Olympiad final team took part in the elimination competitions. For the practical individual examinations in biology, chemistry and physics, the participants were sent packages in advance containing the materials needed to complete the examinations. In addition, household materials had to be procured and prepared. On the first day, the experimental written examinations in the individual subjects were released to all students in three video conferences and had to each be completed in 75 minutes. Based on the results of the individual exams, teams of three were put together for biology, chemistry and physics.

A digital laboratory escape room was prepared for online interdisciplinary scientific team exercises, which one team at a time could work on together. The team was connected to the laboratory at the IPN in Kiel via a video conference. A lab technician was available in the lab to carry out the expert team's assignments experimentally in the video conference. The game leader was also connected in the video conference. The digital laboratory escape room consisted of sub-experiments in biology, chemistry and physics that dealt with the components and performance of organic solar cells. The teams each had 75 minutes to complete this particular team retreat. Even though participants within the teams could not meet and coordinate in persona, communication within the teams worked well and all five teams were able to successfully complete the experiments. This model can be transferred to other competitions whenever teamwork is required.

The two national teams were selected after the evaluation of all exam results.

Team A consists of:

Jonah Kessels (Biology, Carl-Zeiss-Gymnasium, Jena, Thuringia)

Frederike Saal (Chemistry, Latina August Hermann Francke Landesgymnasium, Halle, Saxony-Anhalt)

Anton Nüske (physics, Martin-Andersen-Nexö-Gymnasium, Dresden, Saxony)

Team B consists of:

Jieoh Ahn (Biology, Martin-Andersen-Nexö-Gymnasium, Dresden, Saxony)

Mats Budäus (Chemistry, Gymnasium Oberursel, Oberursel, Hesse)

Meret Urban (Physics, Carl-Zeiss-Gymnasium, Jena, Thuringia).

The selection round was supervised by PD Dr. Burkhard Schroeter and Dr. Stefan Petersen (both IPN, Kiel) as well as by Jan Kruse (Munich), Annabel Maisl (Göttingen) and Konstantin Schwark (Leipzig). Special thanks go to Kirsten Reu and the biology lab at IPN.

We are looking forward to the international competition in Hradec Kralové, Czech Republic in May and will meet with the Austrian national team for a training camp in the "BIKO mach MINT" laboratory in Klagenfurt.

Contact: 
PD Dr. Burkhard Schroeter 
schroeter@ipn.uni-kiel.de 
Ph.: +49 (0)431 / 880-3135