130 young researchers met in Stuttgart for the 44th Baden-Württemberg heat of the “Jugend forscht” competition. It is the 24th time in succession that Bosch has been involved as a corporate sponsor in this regional competition.
“Jugend forscht” is Germany’s oldest and best known competition for up-and-coming young researchers. A total of 10,061 competitors from across Germany this year – the second highest number of participants since the event was founded back in 1965 – is a clear indication of the event’s enduring popularity. The proportion of young women taking part stands at 36 percent. “Bosch wants to help promote talented young people and awaken their interest in technology, science, and business at an early age,” explains Dr. Siegfried Dais, deputy chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.
The nine winning projects will represent the state of Baden-Württemberg at the national finals in Osnabrück from May 21 to 24, 2009. A total of 20 young researchers, chosen from 1,157 participants at the regional heats, impressed the panel of judges with their excellent ideas. “The quality of the projects was outstanding,” confirmed the Bosch sponsorship representative Sabine Pottgiesser. The simulation of an HIV epidemic in southern Africa was singled out as the best interdisciplinary project. Two students from Mannheim developed a simulation model that can be used to depict the spread of the HIV virus under varying conditions so as to enable the optimum use of the available medical resources. Bosch apprentices also made it onto the list of winners in the technology category. Three apprentices at the Waiblingen and Stuttgart-Feuerbach locations presented a separate steering system for trailers to enable precise reversing.
In addition to organizing the Baden-Württemberg heat of the “Jugend forscht” competition, Bosch is also the corporate sponsor for two regional “Jugend forscht” competitions. Since 1996, Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH (formerly Buderus) has been staging the regional “Jugend forscht” competition for central Hesse. Since 2009, Bosch has been sponsoring the regional “Jugend forscht” competition for Hildesheim in cooperation with the Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Hildesheim Region (HI-REG) mbH and Sparkasse Hildesheim. The company is also a founding member of the “Wissensfabrik – Unternehmen für Deutschland e. V.” (Knowledge Factory – Companies for Germany) initiative, which aims to encourage the early education and support of children and young people in the fields of technology, science, and business. The company has already established fifty education partnerships with kindergartens and schools across Germany.
