MINT-EC a Feature of the Lecture Series

2019-09-18 13:22

MINT-EC a Feature of the Lecture Series

During the weekly lecture series students from 10^th to 12^th grade heard the first reports of students who visited MINT-EC Camps in Germany during the last school year. Lea K., Manolo B. and Sebastian P. described their experiences at MINT400 in Berlin, a yearly network meeting of 400 students of MINT-EC schools. Ann-July E. and Sebastian S. took part in MINT-Camps focused on molecular biology at the University in Dortmund and on the sustainability of natural resources at the Institute of Applied Sciences in Aachen. To participate in a MINT-Camp students of the GISW can apply once for a stipend of the Hugo and Herta Müller fund that covers 80% of their travel costs.

During the event at the auditorium of the school, STEM/MINT coordinators Steffi Colopy and Guido Müller introduced the MINT-EC-Program and explained its current activities for students.

What does MINT-EC stand for?

Last school year the GISW became a member of the network of “MINT Schools of Excellence”. We are the only school in the USA and one of two among all German Schools Abroad that has achieved inclusion in this netowrk. Admission to the renowned German MINT-EC-network not only testifies to the excellent quality of teaching in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology but also opens up a variety of opportunities to our students for reaching proficiency in STEM.

By participating in MINT EC camps in Germany as well as with partnerships with external educational institutions, innovative STEM extracurricular coursework and exciting STEM competitions, our students gain relevant, real-world, hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, while building students’ a STEM profile. The MINT-EC student platform helps to establish a high profile network, providing students support when preparing for studies in Germany. Proficiency in the STEM-subjects, the completion of an independent science research project and the documentation of STEM-activities over a student’s entire school career qualifies the student for recognition and the award of a MINT-EC certificate at the end of 12^th grade. This certificate gives students applying for studies in the sciences a higher ranking at certain universities in Germany.

Higher enrollment at the GISW for the STEM-AG’s “Science for Experts” and “Neuroscience” under the direction of Dr. Müller and Ms. Colopy illustrates the positive response to this challenge.

Participating in the British Council MINT-EC SchoolSlam for the first time last year, our students took second and third place in that competition. To complete, student groups of three to five must submit their three-minute videos on a STEM topic to the British Counsel MINT-EC SchoolSlam.

This year’s registration is already under way. Find more information here: https://www.mint-ec.de/veranstaltungen/1052-mint-ec-schoolslam-mit-british-council-anmeldung/

Let’s do it!

Steffi Colopy and Dr. Guido Müller

(STEM/MINT Coordinators)