OHA! Adventure Science in Zittau on 01.07.2022
The test tubes are cleaned, the 3D printer filled, the voices oiled: On Friday, employees of the university and eight other institutes in Zittau and Görlitz will present their work for the first time from 4 to 8 p.m. at the "Long Night of Science" - in demonstrations, experiments, lectures and many hands-on offers.
Various experiments will be set up in the experimental hall of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). They illustrate the topics that the staff at the Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes are researching. Among other things, there's a station where visitors can assemble an impeller - an encapsulated propeller - and pocket heat storage units and take them home. "This is designed to bring the work on the heat pump closer to home," reports
Research associate Sven Mehlhose. A model is also available for this purpose. This shows how its use in industry can lead to CO2 savings.
Sven Mehlhose experiments with fire. The strontium nitrate makes the flame red.
© Rafael Sampedro/foto-sampedro.de
Sven Mehlhose also introduces visitors to how different elements create a characteristic coloration of a flame. The production and function of the "ingredients" of sparklers is also described. These serve as a tangible example of burning metals for guests. The link to science: demonstrating possibilities for CO2-free energy conversion.
DLR staff are also researching how solar energy can help produce hydrogen. "Its use is at the heart of future industrial processes to drive the reduction of CO2 emissions," explains Sven Mehlhose. Visitors will have the opportunity to align the solar cells to illustrate the influence of the sun's position on their output. The readings will be recorded live throughout the evening. Rocket launches can also be experienced: With the help of tennis balls and
water bottles. This is intended to represent drives in a playful way. The guests are allowed to use the rockets themselves. Using VR glasses, they also experience a tour of a tower that DLR operates as a research facility for the use of solar energy.
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