Jena looks back on an exciting week of science
Tens of thousands of visitors attend the Highlights of Physics and the MINT Festival in Jena
Exhibition at the science festival "Highlights of Physics" in the shopping centre "Goethe Galerie" in Jena.
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Published: | By: Ute Schönfelder
From 15 to 20 September, science took centre stage at Jena’s Ernst-Abbe-Platz campus and the Goethe-Galerie. The »Highlights of Physics« and the MINT (STEM) Festival Jena offered a varied programme of hands-on activities, fascinating discoveries and educational experiences. Visitors to the events were gained insights into current research in an entertaining and accessible way.
After 2015, this year marked the second time that the »Highlights of Physics« were held in Jena, which is a first in the 25-year history of this science festival. And there was another innovation: the »Highlights of Physics« took place at the same time as the Jena MINT Festival. This had emerged from the first edition of the physics festival in Jena and took place for the 4th time this year.
»We are delighted that we were once again able to inspire so many visitors with the Highlights of Physics in Jena«, says the President of the University, Prof. Dr Andreas Marx. He thanks Prof. Dr Gerhard G. Paulus, who co-organized the festival on behalf of the University and initiated the Jena MINT Festival. »I am glad that our MINT Festival has developed into a constant fixture in Thuringia’s educational landscape.« Prof. Marx thanks all contributors, sponsors, supporters and partners who made it possible for the schoolchildren to have an unforgettable STEM experience in Jena.
With a varied programme for participation, amazement and learning, the "Highlights of Physics" delighted the young audience in particular, as here with the children's theatre with ACTeFact (Oliver Diedrich, l. and Osina Jung).
Image: Nicole Nerger/Universität JenaDiverse programme from climate change to quantum physics
At around 60 exhibition stands and exhibits, visitors to both festivals were able to learn about a wide range of topics from researchers—from floating cakes to the workings of telescopes and the function of an MRI scanner. One focus of this year’s »Highlights of Physics« was dedicated to current issues relating to climate change and quantum physics.
The diverse programme of lectures was kicked off by astrophysicist and TV presenter Harald Lesch together with the music ensemble »Quadro Nuevo«, who took the audience on a poetic journey through space with their programme »Sonne, Mond und Sterne« (»Sun, Moon and Stars«). The finale was also a crowd-puller: in the University of Jena’s large physics lecture theatre at Max-Wien-Platz, physicist and science communicator Metin Tolan and the University's Academic Orchestra Association, conducted by Sebastian Krahnert, combined science and music with their programme »Star Trek – Galaktische Musik mit etwas Physik« (»Star Trek—Galactic Music with a Little Physics«).
Jena’s example should set a precedent
The President of the German Physical Society (DPG), Prof. Dr Klaus Richter, was impressed by the Jena double festival. »The partnership of the Highlights of Physics with a regular local event such as the MINT Festival should set a precedent in order to achieve lasting effects.« The DPG President welcomed the remarkable interest shown by state and local politicians in the »Highlights of Physics« in Jena and Thuringia.
This was also confirmed by Jena’s Lord Mayor Dr Thomas Nitzsche: »I am grateful and proud that the DPG has once again come to Jena with the Highlights of Physics. The wonderful format fits perfectly into our city. Here, the institutions of higher education, business and local politics are all pulling in the same direction: awakening and promoting interest in the natural sciences. These daysm this is more important than ever.«
The »Highlights of Physics« 2025 were organized by the German Physical Society together with Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The organizers would like to thank the premium partner Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung and all other supporters, the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, the Helmut Fischer Foundation and Hitachi. The MINT Festival Jena was supported by the main sponsors ZEISS and dotSource SE, as well as the Impulsregion Erfurt, Jena, Weimar, Weimarer Land together with JenaWirtschaft and the city of Jena as main sponsor and JENOPTIK AG as gold sponsor.
Visitors were able to learn the secret of the floating cake at an exhibition stand.
Image: Nicole Nerger/Universität Jena
Gerhard G. Paulus, Univ.-Prof. Dr
Chair of Nonlinear Optics