newsonline24

“Jugend forscht” celebrated two anniversaries this year – 60 years of commitment to young talent in the fields of science, technology and innovation and 40 years of the ‘Jugend forscht’ regional competition in Lower Franconia. To mark the occasion, the regional competition was held in a particularly festive setting on February 20 and 21, 2025, hosted by the Main-Franconia region. The Wandelhalle of the Regentenbau in Bad Kissingen became the setting for exciting discoveries and innovative projects by young researchers. Representing the SKZ this year was Dr. Benedikte Hatz, Head of Innovation and Technology Transfer. She was impressed by the number and diversity of the research projects. “It is so impressive to see the creativity with which the students tackle highly topical research issues and look for their own solutions,” said Hatz.

The SKZ Plastics Center has awarded the “Environmental Saviors on Six Legs” project by Jonas Kirchner and Marc Kolb from Kronberg-Gymnasium Aschaffenburg. The two have set themselves the goal of finding a way to break down problematic plastic waste more efficiently and quickly in the future. In their project, they are therefore investigating whether and how mealworms can digest foamed polystyrene. They are investigating which additional plastics mealworms can eat, whether there are differences between different species and how changes in various environmental factors such as light, temperature and oxygen content can contribute to this. “The enthusiasm for science is really palpable and we are proud to support these young researchers. At the same time, we are already looking forward to many more exciting new ideas in the coming years,” says Hatz.