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For the third time, Optima offered the "DO IT!" event for young people. From August 7 to 9, Optima employees and members of the Robotics Erlangen e.V. association at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg got 15 young people aged 14 to 16 excited about technology. The aim is to supplement the technical courses offered in schools and to encourage young people's interest in technical professions. With several new offerings, Optima imparts knowledge of programming, physics and mechanical engineering to the young people.
"Our goal is to bring young people into contact with technology and motivate them to pursue a career at Optima," says Dr. Georg Pfeifer, who initiated this and other young talent events at Optima. Due to the demographic development, it is of great importance for Optima to offer young talent events such as "DO IT!", makeathons and robotics AGs. This is why "DO IT!" is now taking place for the third time.
"DO IT!" makes career choice easier"DO IT! significantly broadens the field of vision of young people," Pfeifer continues. Young people between the ages of 14 and 16 hardly come into contact with companies, but it is at this age that important decisions have to be made. "The insight at Optima, the opportunity to try out and experience many things for themselves, to tinker and create things, should broaden the young people's range of professions and make it easier for them to decide," says Pfeifer.
Filigree precision work: When creating 3D models with a 3D pen, sure instinct is required.
Finding solutions to complex problems as a team. The young people practice this at the "Codino" station. There they learn to write simple programs.
For the first time in the program is "Calliope," a kind of computer construction kit that children can use to learn programming. With predefined commands and a few clicks, they can develop their own programs and control robots they have built themselves. This is the basis for "Codino," a simplified programming interface based on the "C" programming language. The young people use the programs they develop to control motion detectors, alarm systems, LEDs and LCD displays. This prepares the young people for electrical engineering and IT professions. "When everything works in the end, it's a great feeling," sums up one of the young people. Another new product is "GraviTrax," an interactive marble track system that can be used to create routes from various building blocks and tracks using the laws of physics.
The offer is well received by the young people. "Learning about technology in a fun way really appeals to me," says participant Paul Bernhard. Assembling a 3D printer was one of his highlights. He encourages other young people to participate.
Optima is supported in this project by Robotics Erlangen e.V., a student association at the University of Erlangen- Nuremberg. DO IT!" will be offered again in 2020. The aim then is to attract even more girls to the young talent event.
