From 12 to 15 September 2024, the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians met for its 133rd assembly at the Griebnitzsee Campus of the University of Potsdam. Many who could not be there in person participated via livestream. The conference focused on the topic “Science for Our Tomorrow’s Life”. The student programme with pupils from the region and university students has been a fixed part of the GDNÄ conferences for years. The establishment of the Young GDNÄ during the conference in Potsdam increases the importance of young people in the 202-year-old research society. At the 133rd meeting, the young people discussed with renowned scientists, including Nobel Prize winner Ben Feringa. 

“I think it’s great how we young people are given a platform here. And that we are allowed to participate in the conference free of charge and with great appreciation – in the lecture hall, in panel discussions and in conversations on the side,” says Anne Marie Bobes. The 18-year-old high school graduate and future mechanical engineering student won the GDNÄ Science Slam “Science in 5 Minutes”. 

Paul Mühlenhoff, the pedagogical director of the GDNÄ student programme, says: “This year, we had a particularly strong sense of cohesion and an enormous amount of enthusiasm in the group. The Young GDNÄ prepared intensively for all the lectures and was more integrated into the programme than ever. Chapeau!” 

GDNÄ President Professor Heribert Hofer says: “The young people, our Young GDNÄ, find excellent science and interdisciplinary work and direct dialogue with the lecturers at our events. That is what makes the GDNÄ conferences so special. And anyone who missed the livestream this time can soon watch all the lectures as videos on our homepage.” 

The 134th assembly will take place in Bremen in September 2026.

Anne Marie Bobes from the Markgraf-Albrecht-Gymnasium in Osterburg in northern Saxony-Anhalt won the “Science in 5 Minutes” competition with her “Wind2Light” presentation. The 18-year-old recently graduated from high school and will begin studying mechanical engineering at the University of Dresden in October.

Ms. Bobes, please present your project briefly and in as general terms as possible.
I am developing small wind turbines to provide a self-sufficient power supply for street lamps. In summer, this can also be achieved with solar panels, but on dark winter days it becomes difficult to ensure a reliable power supply. My rotors almost always produce enough electricity for the lanterns, even the low wind speeds generated by passing cars are enough. Over the last five years, I have developed small plastic rotors that are 50 centimeters high and 25 centimeters wide, which can be manufactured efficiently, quietly and inexpensively. They produce around five percentage points more electricity than conventional systems and enough to operate street lamps or charging stations for e-bikes.

How did you go about it?
First of all, I took a closer look at turbines that were already on the market, built some of them and tested them in a wind tunnel. I set up test stands in the cellar of our house and in the school cellar. My investigations showed that existing helix systems are not efficient enough for my purposes due to the enormous vortices they create. I then spent hours calculating, developing algorithms and running simulations on the computer – until my hard drive burned out. Fortunately, I was able to quickly buy a new one and design rotors, which I then produced using a 3D printer. I created various models and tested their effectiveness in a range of different basements, as well as at the Technical University of Magdeburg. I applied for a patent for my invention two years ago.

© GDNÄ

The winners of the GDNÄ “Science in 5 minutes” competition with their certificates (from left): Sebastian Paschen and Moritz Roloff (3rd prize), GDNÄ President Professor Heribert Hofer, Anne Marie Bobes (1st place), Felix Gross (2nd place).

You were only 16 years old at the time. Who helped you?
At the very beginning, it was my grandfather, in whose carpentry workshop I was allowed to build all kinds of things as a child. At school, I received a lot of support from my biology teacher Michael Müller. He gave me my first ideas and made sure that I was able to develop the idea at school. He also gave me a lot of support with the patent application. The association of friends of my school covered the application costs. The Jugend forscht competition, in which I took part for the first time when I was 13, was very important to me. With Jugend forscht, I have already been to London, Los Angeles and Thessaloniki, where I was allowed to take part in international competitions with my turbines and repeatedly came in at the top. I used the prize money to finance the next steps in the project. My first publication will soon appear in the magazine Junge Wissenschaft.

What are your plans now?
In a few weeks I will begin studying and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope that I can test my wind turbines in the field in Dresden and get closer to series production. Extensive tests are absolutely essential to ensure safety and efficiency. I’ve already received an offer for large-scale production, but I turned it down because the preconditions haven’t been met yet. At the same time, I want to advance new ideas. For example, I want to find out why birds fly into wind turbines so often. I am increasingly interested in biophysical questions. Professionally, I could imagine a future in aerospace. That’s why it’s great that I was offered an internship at the German Aerospace Center during the GDNÄ assembly in Potsdam. I am very happy to accept the offer.

Can you describe your topic in a few sentences?
I presented the way in which convolutional neural networks, or CNNs for short, work. This allows certain patterns to be recognized in images, for example numbers, such as perceiving a three. Specifically, I use this method to improve chess robots. Currently, the robots don’t allow their opponent a break, even in difficult positions. My program ensures that the robot waits a little with the next move, namely for the length of time that a human usually needs to think.

How did you come up with the topic?
It just developed over time. As a child, I was already interested in robots. I have always been fascinated by things that do something independently. A year ago, I started working on the topic of chess.

What are you planning to do next?
I’m currently applying to the German national artificial intelligence competition with my program. After graduating from high school, I would like to study computer science – I don’t know yet where. After that, I want to work in AI research. If that doesn’t work out, I can also imagine taking a job in the business world.