For one week, TU Ilmenau was transformed into a laboratory of discovery: 19 young people from all over Germany immersed themselves in the secrets of light and color at the MINT-EC Science Camp from 8 to 12 September 2025.
"We're currently studying light in our advanced physics course, and I find it very interesting, but there's not enough time in physics lessons to look at the subject in depth," says Annika from Scheden near Göttingen. Together with Anna, she is standing in the machine hall of the Department of Plastics Technology at Ilmenau Technical University. "For me, on the contrary, we haven't had anything to do with the subject in class," says the young woman from Hanover, explaining her motivation for the camp, which the national excellence school network MINT-EC and the TU Ilmenau use to give particularly committed pupils with a focus on mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology practical insights into science and research:
I really like physics and saw this as an opportunity to think outside the box and learn new things.
Ivan from Munich has also come to spend his vacation time in a meaningful way:
'I'm looking forward to broadening my knowledge horizons and making new acquaintances.
And indeed, the young people learn on the very first day of the camp that light is more than what we see. Using color puzzles and experiments, they discover that color is not an absolute phenomenon, but depends heavily on the material, light source and observer. "The very first lecture turned everything on its head," says Diana from Coburg:
'At that moment I understood that light is simultaneously particles, rays and waves, and could see the connection between the complex functions and the ray that falls on my face when I turn towards the sun.
Materials tell their "color stories"
On the following days, various materials told their "color stories", among other things: Why do recycled plastics suddenly look different? How do you make glass fibers just a few micrometers thick, on which the entire Internet is based and on which information is transported with the help of light? And what happens when glass is altered by heat, metal oxides and light? The young people at the camp also got answers to these questions, says Anastasia from Giessen:
Because the electrons in the material have no energy levels that can absorb visible light, glass is transparent. Only metal salts change this. This creates the bright colors. And depending on how it is cooled, heated or shaped, it can be made harder, clearer or even colored.
One of the highlights of the camp for the young people was building their own spectrometers in the optics lab. They experimented with holograms, learned how diffraction gratings break up light and why the resolution of a spectrometer depends on the overall design with all its components.
Uncovering the truth with light
The students also learned about the relevance of chemical and physical analysis in everyday life in an "escape room" - and used light to uncover the truth in two tricky cases: Together, they analyzed an unknown powder using infrared light and used UV/Vis spectroscopy to examine water samples for possible contamination. "Physics and chemistry have never been so much fun," was Anastasia and Diana's summary, which they presented in a podcast at the end of the camp:
'Here at the university, we finally got to work hands-on - with equipment and theories that we did not have access to at school.
The young people immersed themselves in the natural sciences with great interest and full concentration and used the final presentations to demonstrate not only their specialist knowledge, but also their creative strength. For example, some participants presented their findings in formats such as vlogs, vibe videos or a short science slam: "This view of ourselves, which the summaries showed us, is more valuable than any ranking," says Professor Edda Rädlein enthusiastically about the presentations, "and the many helpers were also able to fill up on enthusiasm."
"In just a few days, interested students have become enthusiastic young researchers who can not only see the light, but also read it," says organizer Jenny Gramsch from the Central Student Advisory and Orientation Service and the Student Research Centre at TU Ilmenau, summing up the camp experience.
The young people also took home another experience for the Science Camp program also included a city hike for night owls, a Thuringian barbecue evening with students and a hike to the Goethehäuschen: "At the highest point, we could see the light-filled city," Diana and Anastasia remember in their podcast:
Light can not only be practical, but also beautiful.
Contact
Jenny Gramsch
Zentrale Studienberatung und -orientierung und Schülerforschungszentrum der TU Ilmenau
Impressions
