Every year during the autumn school holidays, INM organizes the Werkstoffferien (“Materials Science Holiday”) student internship program in cooperation with the Association of German Engineers (VDI) and on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The program typically gives four selected high school students the opportunity to gain in-depth insights into the world of materials science and the daily work of researchers.
This year, three students chose to complete their internship at INM. What makes these young visitors from Bavaria particularly remarkable is that they are the national winners in chemistry of the 2026 Jugend forscht competition, Germany’s most prestigious science competition for young researchers. Participation in the Werkstoffferien program is part of their award. Asked why they selected INM from the range of research institutions available to them, Lennart Antritter, Levi Jekić, and Alexander Kluge unanimously explained: “INM was our first choice because a wide variety of materials science topics are researched under one roof.”
The diversity of research topics at INM was also reflected in the internship program. Following an introduction to science and materials science as well as a safety briefing, the students worked in the institute’s laboratories under expert supervision. They explored the fascinating world of electron microscopy, produced silver mirrors themselves, learned about the fundamentals of Living Materials, and experimented with CRISPR-Cas, the so-called genetic scissors, as a diagnostic tool.
At the end of the internship week, the students had the opportunity to speak with early-career researchers at INM. These discussions provided valuable insights into studying the natural sciences, everyday research work, and possible career paths in science. When asked what fascinates them about materials science, and chemistry in particular, they replied: “Materials science is so fascinating because it allows you to make sense of chaos and discover how things really work. The fact that you can’t always predict the outcome is what makes it so exciting.”
The Werkstoffferien student internship program is part of a funding initiative of German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). It is aimed at upper secondary school students with a strong interest in science and technology who would like to gain hands-on experience at a research institute.