A collaboration between STARS EU and Schule@HSB
As part of the Europe-wide ‘European Researchers’ Night’, Hochschule Bremen - City University of Applied Sciences (HSB) piloted the ‘Researchers at Schools’ programme on 25 September 2026. The aim was to bring scientific research into everyday school life in a clear and engaging way.
Three schools in Bremen took part in the pilot project: the Oberschule am Leibnizplatz, the Wilhelm-Olbers-Oberschule in Hemelingen and the Freie Evangelische Bekenntnisschule in Habenhausen. A total of ten researchers from a wide range of departments at the HSB were present. In clear, concise 20-minute presentations, they outlined their research and then engaged in discussions with the pupils.
Around 200 school pupils from Bremen took part in the event. “The professor gave a really engaging talk – and presented a truly fascinating model in biology,” reported a pupil from the Oberschule am Leibnizplatz enthusiastically. Emmy Weßling from the Wilhelm-Olbers-Oberschule was also impressed: “Thanks to the talk, we’ve gained a broad insight into career fields that might seem unfamiliar at first. This opens up whole new avenues of thought and may spark an interest in finding out more. It was only through this presentation that I realised just how wide-ranging some professions can be.”
It was a welcome challenge for the researchers to explain their research topics, their career paths and their day-to-day work in a school setting. Prof. Dr Stefan Veltel, Professor of Technical Microbiology, said after his visit: “The pupils asked interesting questions – not at all superficial, but well thought out and very relevant to the lecture.”
As well as giving a talk on ‘Opportunities and challenges of care technologies in care homes’, Viktoria Janke was able to draw on her own life experience: „My career path hasn’t been a straight line – and the pupils also asked some interested questions about this.“
The event provided some participants with direct inspiration for their future careers. School pupil Rosila Hussien remarked: “I found it particularly fascinating to learn how bridges are designed and built, and what qualifications are required for the profession.”
At the Wilhelm-Olbers-Oberschule, the talks came at just the right time: “As well as the interesting topics, it was instructive to learn how scientific work is carried out in the various subject areas. Our pupils have to carry out their own project this academic year, applying basic scientific and introductory research methods in the process,” explained Susanne Nadler, upper school coordinator.
At the same time, the presentations also provided teachers with valuable ideas for their lesson planning. Mr Pache, a maths and biology teacher at the Freie Evangelische Bekenntnisschule in Bremen, summed it up: “A fascinating presentation that gave the pupils a deep insight into the technical challenges of a circular economy in food production. In addition, the speaker gave an overview of his personal working life and his career as a research assistant. Many thanks for that.”
The format centred on the aim of sparking young people’s curiosity about science whilst also establishing concrete links to everyday life. In this way, ‘Researchers at Schools’ also helps to prevent scepticism towards science through clear communication and active participation.
The project was carried out as part of the European university alliance STARS EU, in cooperation with Schule@HSB. At the same time, events were held at eight other European locations, bringing research topics directly to the public. Further information is available at: https://starseu.org/european-researchers-night-2026/.
The “Researchers at Schools” programme will continue next year.
