While the jury deliberated afterwards, the students were able to get an impression of the Fraunhofer Institutes IGD and SIT. Applied research at Fraunhofer means augmented reality in the operating room, interactive wind simulation, tracking hackers worldwide, translucent 3D printing, and much more. The groups and teachers clearly enjoyed the guided tours, and even our seasoned researchers were challenged by tricky questions.

Re-energized after the lunch break, everyone returned to the exhibits for the final test: presenting the projects to the public. Now it was our staff’s turn to ask difficult questions – and to receive consistently competent answers. In the afternoon, the event moved seamlessly into its most exciting phase: the award ceremony. After an introduction by Institute Director Prof. Dieter W. Fellner, the audience was first taken on a journey into space by Christoph Kröll. In an interactive talk, the ESA researcher explained not only how large the Earth is, but also that it is the prototype of a spaceship – and currently the best one we have and must protect. After all, we will not be able to build a perfect spaceship for all of us anytime soon. Following this fantastic introduction, the awards were finally presented.

We warmly congratulate this year’s winners! An overview of the award-winning projects can be found as a PDF download in the attachment.