Science Comes to Kiel

On Science Day, universities and research institutions from the Kiel region will provide exciting insights into their research and innovations at eight locations throughout Kiel. There will be over 100 activities. Through hands-on experiments, lab tours, workshops, exhibitions, scientific demonstrations, and lectures, participants can experience, understand, and help shape science.

The IPN, the Kiel Science Outreach Lab (KiFo), and the Student Research Center Kiel Science Workshop (SFZ) will be represented at two locations with the following activities:

// Kiel University's Audimax - Christian-Albrechts-Platz 2:

• Dr. Stephanie Schmidt-Gattung, IPN 
  Exhibition and hands-on activity / 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
  "The Science Olympiads"
  Six student competitions bring young people together and inspire a passion for the natural sciences. Get to know them and test your talent!

• Lukas Scheppach, IPN 
  Hands-on activity / 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  "How Do Machines Actually Learn?”
  Discover and experience various machine learning strategies in the IPN’s digital AI lab.

• Antonia Grubert, SFZ 
  Exhibition, presentation / 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  "Teens present their research projects from the Kiel Science Outreach Lab"
  Learn more about the Student Research Center, meet young researchers in person, and discover their exciting projects.

// RBZ Wirtschaft Kiel - Westring 444:

• Dr. Marc Wilken, IPN 
  Exhibition, hands-on activity, presentation / 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  “STEM in the Professional World”
  Career guidance in STEM education from elementary school through high school graduation

• KiFo Team, KiFo
  Hands-on activity / 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  “Hands-On Activities from the Kiel Science Outreach Lab”
  The team from the Kiel Science Outreach Lab invites everyone interested to enjoy a wide range of hands-on activities and informative experiences.

• Dr. Hanna Rosigkeit, KiFo/life:labor
  Hands-on activity, exhibition / 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  “Exciting Insights into the Structure and Function of the Senses”
  Young and old alike are invited to test their sensory skills at various hands-on stations.

• Frank Lüthjohann, KiFo/nawi:werft
  Hands-on activity / 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  “Dive into the world of sensor technology and robotics”
  During the hands-on activities, participants can program an Ozobot mini-robot or an Arduino.

• Science Comes to Town Team 
  Poster presentation / 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  “Co-Creation: Your Everyday Life. Your Ideas. Collaborative Science.”
  Research projects by citizens: Science Comes to Town demonstrates how co-creation works and invites visitors to explore, ask questions, and share ideas. – including the co-creation project “Our Scientist of the Month” by the NaturSpielpädagogik e. V. network in Kiel, facilitated by the IPN’s Dr. Anneke Steegh.

Participation in the event is free, and registration is not required. Detailed information in German on the entire program can be found in the Science Day 2026 program booklet (the PDF file is not accessible) or in the online event calendar on the website www.wissenschafftzukunft-kiel.de

Science Day is an event of this year’s Science Summer and part of Science Comes to Town.

Once again, Kiel Week 2026 will serve as a platform for hands-on science, featuring the IPN and the Kiel Science Outreach Lab. They will participate in established events, such as the Pagodenpark at Kieler Uni Live, as well as interactive activities centered on science and research at many other locations throughout the city as part of Science Comes to Town (SCTT).

An overview of the individual offers:

• STEPS Project 
  Monday, June 22 / 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. / Interreg Research Projects Pagoda on Schlaumacherwiese / Geomar Meadow

Friday, June 26 / 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. / at the Junge Bühne / Ratsdienergarten

• Experimental show with Dorothea Steckhan and Maximilian Traub
  Tuesday, June 23 / 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. / Stage on the Spiellinie / Krusenkoppel

• MILeNa.SH Project 
  Thursday, June 25 / 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. / ZfL Pagoda in the Pagodenpark at Kieler Uni Live / Lawn in front of the IBZ and Seeburg

• Kiel Science Outreach Lab
  Saturday, June 20 – Sunday, June 28 / 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. / Pagodenpark at Kiel University Live / Meadow in front of the IBZ and Seeburg
  Tuesday, June 23 / 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. / MUDDI Market / Lorentzendamm / only demokratie:werk
  Tuesday, June 23 / 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. / Blaupark / Gaarden Sports and Community Park / only kunst:werk in collaboration with the MINT Academy
  Saturday, June 27 / 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. / Blaupark / Gaarden Sports and Community Park / only nawi:werft and archäo:labor in collaboration with the MINT Academy

The Kiel Week 2026 website provides (in German) an overview of the scientific program, including a map showing the locations of the individual venues.

The Rent-a-Scientist school program gives school classes in Schleswig-Holstein the chance to invite scientists between June 1st and 19th, 2026, to conduct an exciting and unique lesson. Whether it’s a lecture, a demonstration or hands-on experiment, a workshop, or a panel discussion, the format is entirely up to you. Scientists can use these engaging activities to give students a glimpse into their research and inspire them to take an interest in science.
In addition to scientists from universities and research institutions in the Kiel region, researchers from the European University of Flensburg and the West Coast University of Applied Sciences are also participating in the program this year.

The following research scientists from the IPN are participating:

• Prof. Dr. Dietmar Block (CAU), Marc Reid and/or Lea Runge
  “Student Experiments with the Laborino”

• Dr. Marc Wilken (photo, left), Dr. Mira Hykkelbjerg Wulff, Thore Lotzin und Per Petersen
  “Technologies in STEM Careers”

• Dr. Florian Uellendahl-Werth (center)
  “Science – How Can I Get Involved?”

• Jorge Staack (right)
  “How Can Schools Prepare for Pandemics?”

The free school program “Rent-a-Scientist” is an event of this year’s Science Summer and part of Science Comes to Town.

From April through September 2026, under the title “Doors Open – Science for Everyone,” the Kiel Science Outreach Lab will open one of its teaching and learning labs to the public on the second-to-last Thursday of every month from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Offers are aimed toward target groups who are unable to participate in the Kiel Research Workshop’s regular programs. Participation is free of charge, but advance registration is required. Detailed program information and the registration form can be found on the website www.forschungs-werkstatt.de.

An overview of the event series:

• April 23: food:labor – Insights into the program on plant-based beverages and consumer choices
• Mai 21: sprach:werk/kunst:werk – Learn more about medieval handwriting
• Juni 18: life:labor – Analyzing DNA in the lab using classical molecular biology methods
• Juli 23 – archäo:labor archäo:labor – Insights into life in the Neolithic era
• August 20: ozean:labor – Immerse yourself in a unique habitat right on our doorstep
• September 17: nawi:werft – Discover the world of robotics and sensor technology

// food:labor:

// life:labor:

// archäo:labor:

Around 20 scientists from Kiel’s universities and research institutions will be visiting the shops on Holtenauer Straße in Kiel as part of the “Science & Shopping” event. Through short presentations and hands-on experiments, the researchers will present the scientific topics they are currently working on to the public in an easy-to-understand, entertaining, and informative way.

These IPN researchers will be participating:

• Dr. Michael Baum / Schuh Heinrich / Kurzvortrag / Short presentation / 11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
  “City Nature Challenge: How We Can All Explore Our Biodiversity Together”

• Dr. Florian Uellendahl-Werth / Rotunde Stilfrei / Hands-on experiments / 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
  “Introducing the Kiel Science Outreach Lab – with hands-on experiments”
  // Unfortunately, this event has been canceled. //

Participation in the event is free of charge; registration is not required.
More detailed information on individual event items can be found on the website www.wissenschafftzukunft-kiel.de.
The complete program in German can be found in the overview flyer – the file is not accessibility compliant.

Science & Shopping is an event at this year's Science Summer and part of Science Comes to Town.

The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is a citizen science project in which participants will photograph wild organisms in their local area from April 24th to 27th, 2026, and record them using the iNaturalist app. The collected data helps systematically document local biodiversity, thereby making a valuable contribution to science. At the same time, participants learn new things about the flora and fauna in their local area.

Dr. Michael Baum, who serves as an educational engineer in the state program “Zukunft Schule im digitalen Zeitalter SH” (IQSH, Kiel University) and as a visiting researcher at the IPN, is organizing the City Nature Challenge for the KielRegion. His participation in this citizen science project is part of the “Science Comes To Town” citizen science study, which is being conducted in cooperation with the cities of Brest, Split, and the KielRegion. The goal of the study is to document the diversity of existing and completed citizen science projects across state borders and to learn from one another.

Good to Know

The idea for the City Nature Challenge originated in California, where nature enthusiasts from San Francisco and Los Angeles came together in 2016 for a friendly competition to document local biodiversity. This year, the CNC is being held worldwide in over 600 participating cities and regions, and the KielRegion is taking part for the sixth time.

From September 6th to 13th, 2026, the School Nature Challenge SH will take place for all secondary schools in Schleswig-Holstein as part of Biodiversity Action Week, with Dr. Michael Baum serving as a co-organizer.

Co-Creation projects are part of the EU initiative “Science Comes to Town.” Citizens from Kiel, Brest, or Split can develop their own small-scale research projects on everyday topics and work on them together with scientists from their city.

Dr. Anneke Steegh is coordinating the “Our Female Scientist of the Month” co-creation project at the IPN, organized by the NaturSpielpädagogik e.V. network in Kiel. Each month, this project highlights an outstanding and often-forgotten female scientist through an event—which may take the form of a stage play, animated film, podcast, or similar format. In addition to her biography, the project focuses on the significance of her research and work for the present day. The project group’s goal is to provide event participants with accessible exposure to women in science and the natural sciences, while also exploring new forms of science communication.

Dr. Anneke Steegh conducts research at the IPN on identity and equity in STEM education. From April through December 2026, she will be supporting the events with a pre-post pilot study. The goal is to gain scientifically grounded insights into the impact of raising the visibility of women in science.

For more information about the study, visit netzwerk-natus.de/wissenschaftliche-begleitung-fuers-projekt. Details and dates for the planned “Our Female Scientist of the Month” events can be found at netzwerk-natus.de/komm-mit-auf-zeitreise.