Ms Anders, Mr Kleemann, Mr Paschen, the first conference organised independently by the jGDNÄ is now behind you. How would you sum it up in one sentence?
Sebastian Paschen: I thought the days were a complete success. We had a lot of fun and exchanged ideas – we can build on this foundation to develop further.
Marlene Anders: It was a fantastic first congress, which will hopefully be followed by many more.
Lennard Kleemann: Despite the short preparation time of four months, we managed to put together a scientifically high-quality and thematically diverse congress with the help of renowned institutions in Heidelberg.

How many young people accepted your invitation?
Sebastian Paschen: There were 35 participants in total. The number fluctuated occasionally because not everyone attended all programme items. There were parallel events and some had to leave a little earlier.

How would you describe the participants?
Marlene Anders: They were members of the jGDNÄ aged between 16 and 32: upper secondary school pupils, students, doctoral candidates and young researchers from industry. Some came from the Heidelberg area, others from further afield across Germany. The subjects covered ranged from engineering and physics to computer science and life sciences such as biology and medicine. Most of the participants have been part of our network for some time, but some were there for the first time.

 © Robert Hammann

How did you decide on Heidelberg as the first location for the conference?
Marlene Anders: We simply looked at where most of us live, and that’s in this area. Heidelberg has a wealth of great scientific institutions, so it was a good fit.
Sebastian Paschen: And when Lennard Kleemann agreed to take over the organisation on site, the decision was made.

Mr Kleemann, you are currently doing your master’s degree in molecular biotechnology at Heidelberg University, which requires you to complete several internships, and on top of that you had to prepare for the conference. That’s quite a lot to do at once.
Lennard Kleemann: Yes, that’s true. But I felt confident that I could handle the organisation because I am quite familiar with the research scene in Heidelberg. This has to do with my diverse field of study and with internships, for example at the University Hospital or the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research. I also know other institutes from my school days – fortunately, Heidelberg’s research institutions are also open to school students.

Have you ever organised a conference before?
Lennard Kleemann: No, this was my first time. And some things didn’t go as smoothly as I had imagined at the beginning. But luckily I wasn’t alone; there were seven of us in the organising team and the staff at the GDNÄ office supported us at all times and answered all our questions. Without this help, the conference would not have been possible. We at jGDNÄ wanted to do a good job, not least to justify the huge vote of confidence placed in us by the GDNÄ. And in the end, I think it turned out well.

 © Marlene Anders

When you think of a science conference, you think of lectures, poster sessions and panel discussions. Did you stick to the classic format?
Marlene Anders: No, we took a different approach from the outset. We wanted to get to know each other in an informal atmosphere, and long sessions in a conference hall are not really suitable for that. Instead, we focused on practical programme items. One example is the tour of the ion beam therapy centre, where our member Celine Karle is doing her doctoral thesis and was able to give us exciting insights into her research.
Lennard Kleemann: The tours of EMBL, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, the House of Astronomy and INSEAM, the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials, were also very good. There we were able to spontaneously attend a lecture by Professor Inkyu Park on innovative biosensors. Professor Park teaches mechanical engineering at KAIST University in South Korea. There were many experts in the audience, and the presentation was in English – our group was thrilled.
Sebastian Paschen: There was a very lively atmosphere, even during informal programme items such as the tour of the old town, the mountain railway ride and the Neckarwiesen meeting on the last evening. There was a lot of discussion and the younger ones peppered the older ones with questions. The questions often concerned very basic things, such as everyday life at university, and topics that you tend to discuss with people of a similar age.

Can you already say what impact the congress had?
Marlene Anders: Heidelberg gave us a lot of momentum, which we will now use for future activities. The verbal feedback from the participants was very positive. Now we are waiting for the results of our online survey and are really excited to see them.
Lennard Kleemann: The Heidelberg regional group came together at the conference – a very welcome development, I think.
Sebastian Paschen: There was a nice spontaneous effect: during our visit to the House of Astronomy, a bachelor’s student gave us a tour of the observatory. She is passionate about her subject and is excellent at explaining astronomical concepts. She is a great fit for us, so we approached her – and now she is a member of jGDNÄ.

A conference like this costs a lot of money. Where does it come from?
Sebastian Paschen: The GDNÄ provides us with generous support, and the German Chemical Industry Association also contributes a substantial donation. This covers travel expenses, accommodation for participants in a simple hotel, meals in the canteen and the supporting programme. Institute tours and organisation are free of charge. The budget is tight, but it’s enough. For the next conference, we will start fundraising earlier and then approach other institutions.

 © Robert Hammann

With a view: conference participants on the Königstuhl.

What else is in the pipeline at jGDNÄ?
Marlene Anders: We already have a lot of ideas that we will discuss at our next big online meeting at the end of August.
Sebastian Paschen: One goal is to set up a buddy programme that brings school pupils together with students on the one hand and jGDNÄ members with established GDNÄ members on the other. We want to work closely with the GDNÄ on this and hope to be able to present the first results around the turn of the year. We are also currently seeking exchanges with other young talent organisations of scientific societies and have been very successful so far.

You have all already participated in GDNÄ strategy meetings. What was your impression?
Sebastian Paschen: We were given an incredibly warm welcome. Our suggestions for the conference programme in Bremen were well received, as were our suggestions for the next Lorenz Oken Award. We also learned a lot for planning our programme for the 2026 meeting.
Lennard Kleemann: I am impressed by the diversity of the GDNÄ and am very grateful for the support and trust placed in the jGDNÄ. We can learn a lot from the GDNÄ’s organisation. I am thinking, for example, of the division and representation of the specialist areas and the structure of the regional groups.
Marlene Anders: I learned a lot about planning conferences. At the GDNÄ, you can learn these things in a gentle yet memorable way. This will be very useful for us at our next conferences.

Regional meetings, mentoring programmes, lecture series: what young members of the GDNÄ are planning and how they want to achieve their goals.

Ms Anders, Ms Karle, Mr Paschen, the Young GDNÄ was officially founded six months ago at the meeting in Potsdam. How is it doing today?
Sebastian Paschen: Very well. We have had a lot of new members in recent weeks. Our WhatsApp group alone now has well over a hundred members. They are schoolchildren, students and young scientists from different fields of study, aged between 16 and 35. We receive excellent support from the large GDNÄ: we are listened to and given space – we feel very valued.
Marlene Anders: The group has already had four online meetings since the Potsdam meeting. A few weeks ago, we renamed ourselves the Young Network of the GDNÄ, or jGDNÄ for short. With the new name, we are aligning ourselves with other professional associations – a majority voted in favour of this change.

Who organises such meetings and who moderates them?
Celine Karle: We are currently the representatives of the jGDNÄ and therefore take on part of the organisation. But many other committed young people work with and behind us.

The spark has obviously been ignited. Was there an initial spark?
Sebastian Paschen: Celine initiated a café for doctoral students in Potsdam, which attracted around twenty young people. It was the first get-together of its kind at a GDNÄ assembly.
Celine Karle: I myself was once a GDNÄ scholar and later a guest at a few assemblies. My impression was that something was missing between the scholar programme and the big GDNÄ, so I came up with the idea of the doctoral café. The idea was to present dissertations there.
Marlene Anders: But we didn’t actually discuss dissertations at all, and most of us weren’t doctoral students, but undergraduates. We talked about courses of study and scientific topics, about the GDNÄ and its future – and realised that there should be more opportunities for networking like this. That’s when we formed the GDNÄ Young Network.
Sebastian Paschen: Since that meeting, an active core of around twenty members has emerged, who do a lot of work. A regular board election is scheduled to take place at the 2026 assembly in Bremen. Before then, we will certainly be meeting up often as the jGDNÄ – online, but also in person, as at our meeting from 27 to 29 June in Heidelberg. Almost 40 people have already registered for that.

 © Dima-Juschkow

At the 2024 conference in Potsdam: members of the jGDNÄ and the school programme together with Nobel Prize winner Professor Ben Feringa (front row, centre).

What are you planning for the meeting in Heidelberg?
Celine Karle: We have organised several tours, for example to the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Centre or to INSEAM, a centre for new materials, methods and technologies. We will be adding more interesting items to the programme over the next few weeks. Besides the scientific aspects, the meeting is also about getting to know each other and exchanging ideas among the members of the jGDNÄ – we want to create the framework and atmosphere for this. The plan is to organise such meetings of the jGDNÄ every two years, always between the major meetings of the GDNÄ.

At the Potsdam meeting, there was also talk of regional meetings. Is that still on the agenda?
Sebastian Paschen: Yes, we are in the middle of preparations and will definitely be able to organise the first meetings this year. Not only students, but also high school students from the respective region are invited. At the meetings, we want to network with each other and develop and implement new ideas.

Are there any examples of this already?
Marlene Anders: At our next online meeting on 14 April, we want to discuss a mentoring programme that brings together experienced GDNÄ scientists and jGDNÄ members. We are also talking about lecture series on scientific topics and a network of GDNÄ ambassadors at German universities. I’m a student teacher and I’m currently thinking about special offers for prospective teachers. There is a need for this, as I know from my own experience, and as a jGDNÄ we can certainly achieve a lot – especially with regard to good science communication.

Your commitment is impressive. What motivates you?
Marlene Anders: For me, it is the desire to communicate scientific knowledge to a wider audience. It is truly a matter close to my heart. The student scholarship is a great dive into research and I want to help ensure that it remains a unique experience for others as well.
Sebastian Paschen: I come from the medical bubble and enjoy the interdisciplinary nature of the GDNÄ. There are so many enriching conversations and my horizons are constantly expanding.
Celine Karle: I want to pass on my enthusiasm for science and help younger people on their way. They often have the same problems that I had at one time. For example: What do I do when an exam is coming up and I start to feel anxious about it? With our network in the jGDNÄ, we can certainly do a lot of good there.

 © Privat

How do you see the GDNÄ and its importance? 
Sebastian Paschen: It connects science and society, which is an extremely important role. And it doesn’t rest on its laurels, but moves with the times and dares to do new things, as it is doing now with the jGDNÄ. At my first GDNÄ annual conference, a Nobel Prize winner approached me and shook my hand – that made a big impression on me. What also impresses me is that I am allowed to be a full member as a student.
Celine Karle: I love high-level yet understandable lectures – from my own discipline, physics, but especially from other fields. I think the interdisciplinary nature of the GDNÄ and the chance to get to know the current state of research in other disciplines better are great.
Marlene Anders: I am impressed by the humanity in our interactions. And the great appreciation that we young people experience.

Does the GDNÄ already have plans for the 2026 assembly in Bremen?
Sebastian Paschen: We certainly have ideas and we will discuss them with the GDNÄ board of directors soon. It is already certain that we will be able to organise our own programme parts in Bremen.
Celine Karle: We will definitely have a programme for school students again in 2026, as well as the popular formats “Science in 5 Minutes” and “Meet the Prof”. We want to expand the doctoral café. And if everything goes to plan, we will be able to present a mentoring programme in Bremen.
Marlene Anders: It is important now to maintain the momentum of the beginning. In five years, the jGDNÄ should be at least as vibrant as it is today.

Team portraits now on Instagram

New on the GDNÄ’s own Instagram channel @gdnae are short video portraits of six student program teams from biology, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, physics and engineering. The young people describe on camera , how they experienced the 200th anniversary of the GDNÄ and what participation in the student program means for their future. On Instagram, the team portraits will be published successively.

The Instagram posts were produced by a young team from Stuttgart Media University. The team includes Gloria Gamarnik, Lena Dagenbach and Maren Krämer, three students from the Crossmedia Editorial/Public Relations program. During the Leipzig anniversary celebration, they provided the Instagram community with up-to-the-minute impressions of the conference events. The focus of the coverage was the GDNÄ’s student program. The GDNÄ Instagram project is led by Dr. Alexander Mäder, science journalist and professor at the Media University.

The online format, which was developed in Great Britain, has already been used very successfully in schools there for several years. Now the german initiative “Wissenschaft im Dialog” (Science in Dialog) is managing the platform for participation in Germany – a project supported by the GDNÄ. The next round will take place from March 15 to 26, 2021, on the topic of infections. Scientists can still register for it until February 14.

In the Corona pandemic, in which schools have to organize distance learning and face-to-face teaching in parallel, the new offer can be a welcome change for students and teachers. The free online offering takes place in a protected setting. All participants are registered on the website. Trained moderators accompany the live chats and maintain the question area.

Experience to date shows that scientists can use the project to improve their communication skills, gain new perspectives on their work and learn more about young people’s attitudes to science and research. Participating scientists also stand to win 500 euros in prize money, which they can invest in science communication projects.