Bei der ersten Mitgliederversammlung der jGDNÄ in Bremen wurden erstmals zwei Sprecher gewählt: Lennard Kleemann, der Molekulare Biotechnologie an der Universität Heidelberg und zusätzlich Humanmedizin studiert und Nina Rack – sie studiert Humanmedizin an der Universität Greifswald. Hier sprechen sie über das, was die jGDNÄ in zwei Jahren erreicht hat und über große Pläne für die Zukunft.

Two years ago, at the GDNÄ meeting in Potsdam, the Young GDNÄ was founded. Where does it stand today?

Lennard: In Potsdam, the Young GDNÄ was merely announced; we first had to think about what we wanted to make of it. Since then, we’ve achieved a great deal: We have a social media team; we organised a jGDNÄ congress in Heidelberg in 2025; we’ve set up a buddy programme where student mentors support younger members; we’ve agreed on a set of rules of procedure; and we’ve pushed ahead with networking with other organisations for young scientists. Incidentally, we no longer refer to it as the ‘Young GDNÄ’, but as the ‘Young Network of the GDNÄ’.

Nina: We also helped organise the preparatory workshops and evening entertainment as part of the school pupils’ programme, initiated the talk by Cologne-based forensic biologist Mark Benecke, set up the student advisory service for school pupils, and launched the NextMed Science Café.

Lennard: Not to mention the first general meeting of the jGDNÄ, at which not only were the two of us elected as spokespersons for two years, but a coordination team comprising six subject representatives was also established, modelled on the GDNÄ.

Wow. And you still find time to study on top of all that?

Nina: Absolutely. Before the conferences, it’s naturally a lot of work. But in between, the tasks are spread out quite well, especially because we’re backed by a highly motivated team of around thirty very active jGDNÄ members.

How many of you are there in total?

Lennard: We have 160 members. Now, following the Bremen conference, another hundred participants from the school programme will be joining us. Anyone who joins the GDNÄ as a young person up to the age of 32 automatically becomes a member of ours.

What’s your relationship with the GDNÄ like?

Nina: Very good. The Executive Board supports us in every way, and our projects are also funded by the GDNÄ. We attend the Executive Board meetings and our views are taken seriously. We’re also very pleased with our collaboration with the secretariat: our emails are answered quickly, even at the weekend, and Ms Landeck and Ms Diete are on hand to help with any questions we have.

What are your plans for next?

Lennard: The next jGDNÄ Congress will take place from 24 to 27 June 2027 in Frankfurt am Main, and intensive preparations are currently under way. The theme is ‘Knowledge Connects Worlds’. The focus will be on the natural and technical sciences and medicine. As we did in Heidelberg in 2025, we’ll be visiting research institutions and production facilities, partly with a view to potential future workplaces for us. Nina, a native of Frankfurt, will be in charge of coordination.

Nina: Fortunately, I’ll have a brilliant team to help. On the evening of 25 June, there will also be a regional meeting in Frankfurt – see the QR code – to which not only GDNÄ members but anyone interested is invited. We’ll hear a talk by the journalist and qualified neurobiologist Dr Regina Oehler entitled ‘The Illusion of the Simple Answer: Theses on Science Journalism Using the Brain and Consciousness as Examples’ – a great starting point for our discussion afterwards.

Paul Mühlenhoff has headed the GDNÄ’s Student Program since 2012. His full-time position is as a senior teacher of biology and German at a high school in Bielefeld. This year, as in previous years, his school granted him a few days off to prepare for and carry out the Student Program.

Mr. Mühlenhoff, how is the 2026 Student Program going?
Very well so far. One hundred students are participatin – most of them are from the Bremen, Lower Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia regions. This year, for the first time, the jGDNÄ organized the preparatory workshops. There were five meetings during which the students prepared for the presentations and subsequent panel discussions. This led to excellent results, as we saw this morning in the “Computer Science / Mathematics” session: The students were able to challenge the scientists with well-reasoned questions and engage with them. The young people have been very visible at the conference from the very beginning. Last night, the “Science in 5 Minutes” science slam was once again very well attended; today through Sunday, the young participants are engaging in panel discussions with researchers. What pleases me particularly is the strong connection between the student program and the jGDNÄ.

© GDNÄ

Paul Mühlenhoff has headed the GDNÄ’s Student Program since 2012.

The student program has been part of the GDNÄ for a long time. The jGDNÄ, for students and early-career researchers, was founded just two years ago. How do the two groups fit together?
The transition between them is often seamless. Most members of the jGDNÄ have previously participated in one of the student programs. We organizers try to ensure a smooth transition from the younger group to the older one. The goal is for young people to remain with the GDNÄ in the long term and to build lasting networks with one another. The jGDNÄ is taking on more and more responsibility within the GDNÄ, including for the student program. The fact that forensic biologist Mark Benecke gave a presentation at a preparatory workshop is thanks to the jGDNÄ—the students were thrilled. 

So, is everything going well?
We definitely want to keep the student program going. But even very good things can get even better. Next time, we want to spread out the preparation over fewer dates and further optimize our collaboration with mentors. 

The next GDNÄ meeting will take place in Essen in 2028. What’s planned for the student program?
We’ll invite schools in Essen and within a 200-kilometer radius to participate. We also plan to once again invite talented students from “Jugend forscht” and other foundations. The jGDNÄ will once again play a key role in this. If at all possible, we want to offer student labs and field trips to research institutes again in 2028.

Franz Theodor Lenner (16) and Jonah Willy Winzig (16) travelled to the GDNÄ assembly in Bremen on their own initiative. Both are students at the private Villa Elisabeth Gymnasium in Wildau, near Berlin. The state-recognised school places great emphasis on STEM education in small classes.

How did you find out about the conference?
Our science teacher, Dr Stefan Bläß, told us about it. In 2024, Mr Bläß arranged for some pupils from our school to travel to the conference in Potsdam. He spoke so enthusiastically about it that we subsequently bought tickets to Bremen at our own expense and booked a hotel. There are a few other pupils from our school here as well.

What are you hoping to gain from the conference?
We’re hoping to gain insights into current scientific research and have lots of fruitful discussions with professors. Last night we already had the chance to speak to NASA’s former chief scientist, Thomas Zurbuchen. We asked him about nuclear propulsion systems for spacecraft and about water reserves on Jupiter’s moons, and he explained everything to us very clearly. We simply want to learn as much as possible.

And is that working out so far?
The conference is exceeding our expectations. As soon as we arrived, we were taken straight to Paul Mühlenhoff. He introduced us to everyone. All the people we’ve spoken to have been very friendly and willing to share information. We’ve also just received an invitation to the ‘Overseas Night’ on Saturday evening – we’re really looking forward to that. We’re taking part in the careers advice session at lunchtime today. Career-wise, we’d both like to go into medicine. Perhaps we’ll also pick up a few ideas for our planned entry in the ‘Jugend forscht’ competition. We’ve already got some ideas for Alzheimer’s research and new treatment approaches for diabetes patients.