Two young participants are constructing their own slide and dead-man switches for their circuits.
How can you transform cables, a power source, and a small incandescent bulb into a functioning electrical circuit? In the “Experimentierwelten” summer program, children can try their hand at electrical engineering under the guidance of the Heureka Learning Lab.
She scans a row of tables covered with red cables, each of which ends on both sides with alligator clips. She quickly finds a light bulb. A few steps later, it’s securely in the correct socket.
“It really does glow,” says an elementary school student, beaming just as brightly as the light itself.
What we take for granted in everyday life becomes the starting point for a journey of discovery here: How does an electric circuit work? What makes a switch a switch? Why does a simple nail suddenly attract metal staples? And can the force of a magnet be made visible? The focus is on hands-on experimentation: Questions arise from the experiments and are then explored through practical investigation.
This free summer program, aimed at children and teens of various ages, takes place at the Nell-Breuning-Haus, centrally located in Herzogenrath. Depending on the target group and the daily program, participants can try out different STEM activities each year. This summer, the Heureka Learning Lab from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology was once again part of the “Experimentierwelten” program to guide the younger participants.
“What else do you have here?” asks a nine-year-old participant who was already there last year, delighted by the well-stocked experiment kit.
For the faculty, this participation is part of their efforts to support the next generation of researchers. Through the “Experimentierwelten” program, students have the opportunity to become familiar with electrical engineering and information technology at an early age, as well as gain experience with technical concepts. Rather, research here begins with a simple question—and with the courage to seek an answer on their own.
A student is conducting an experiment with several light bulbs connected in parallel.
The varied STEM program, jointly offered by various learning labs of RWTH Aachen University from August 4 to 14, 2026, took the younger children to other stations as well. For example, they programmed the small “Calliope mini” computer, made flower seed balls, and explored the secrets of tomato DNA. Meanwhile, the older students explored modern physics and learned how a scanning tunneling microscope works and makes individual atoms visible.
The fact that age doesn’t necessarily indicate technical skill when it comes to these offerings is noted by Gina Goffart, director of the SCIphyLAB learning lab at RWTH Aachen University:
“We’ve seen that soldering—for example, when building a ‘hot wire’—is generally easier for younger children. They are often more dexterous and quicker than older children. In fact, this year, even the youngest children set the record—they were the fastest to finish building their ‘hot wire’.”
The summer vacation program was made possible through a collaboration between the StädteRegion Aachen, RWTH Aachen University, and the Nell-Breuning-Haus. It was developed as part of the MINTplus project in the StädteRegion Aachen. The Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth supports the project as a funding agency, while the Bürgerstiftung Herzogenrath and HEAD acoustics GmbH provide financial support.
The Heureka Learning Lab also offers opportunities to foster a spirit of inquiry within the academic setting of RWTH Aachen University. Depending on the program, workshops allow students to conduct their own experiments, explore laboratories, and learn about various topics within electrical engineering and information technology. Topics range from STEM to micro- and nanotechnology to energy engineering.
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