Translated with DeepL
Imagine you could spend a day in the role of a cybersecurity expert who fends off hacker attacks. Or you could dive into the depths of the oceans with a marine biologist, programme robots with Google engineers or learn what it's like to develop aerospace technology from an aeronautical engineer. What sounds like an expensive executive seminar was part of everyday school life at Baden Cantonal School on Wednesday. This is what education looks like when it really wants to captivate young people. Around 1,200 pupils got a taste of their possible future at the STEM Day. And certainly also the thought: "I want to do that too!"
"We want to sensitise our students to STEM topics and connect them with topics that they don't encounter in everyday school life. This should raise their awareness and encourage them to do things themselves. The collaboration with the SATW is very beneficial," says Vice Principal Irmgard Bühler about the idea behind the day.
Marine biologist Silvia Frey from KYMA sea conservation & research spoke in the auditorium, where most of the students were seated, and highlighted the dramatic consequences of industrial fishing for our oceans. The second speaker in the auditorium, Fabian Unteregger, provided more laughs. The comedian and doctor made the audience smile with his humorous anecdotes and also gave practical tips for professional life.
The wide range of activities showcased the entire spectrum of what modern science and technology have to offer: At the ZHAW School of Engineering's live hacking event, the young people learnt about cybersecurity in practice. On the same floor of the spacious Kanti Baden campus, Valentin Schlattinger, a software engineer at Google in Zurich, explained to the students how they can build their own robots. Student Isabella says: "I've been interested in robotics for a long time, but until now I only had theoretical knowledge. Now I can put it into practice."
Workshops where the students could get hands-on were very popular: "Medicine up close" offered realistic insights into the medical profession, while Johnson & Johnson MedTech showed the young people that a broken bone means much more than just a plaster cast. Fabrizio Fischetti from HSLU gave a group of students a first insight into how to take a pulse or how to apply bandages. "There is still a huge demand for nurses, so it's good to counteract the shortage of skilled workers at school," said Fischetti.
In another workshop, pupil Amelie followed the two engineers from ABB attentively as they familiarised the participants with the world of industrial robots. "I chose the topic because it sounded exciting," she said. Swiss pilot Jeff Lüscher set a completely different scene: dressed chic in his pilot's uniform, he showed his audience what a pilot's job is really like, what knowledge is required and what training programmes are already available for young people.
What also made Wednesday special was that the list of participating organisations reads like a "who's who" of the Swiss research and industrial landscape. From tech giants such as Google and Swiss corporations such as ABB and Axpo to renowned universities such as ETH Zurich and EPFL. The external programme was complemented by 21 workshops run by the Kantonsschule Baden's own teaching staff. They enthusiastically passed on their knowledge beyond the compulsory school curriculum, from quantum physics and cryptocurrencies to practical laboratory experiments.
A day like this at a school is time-consuming to organise, but it is worthwhile in terms of study and career choices as well as promoting interest in and understanding of STEM subjects. And it is not a one-off event. The SATW has been organising TecDays at Swiss grammar schools since 2007 with measurable results, and the cantonal school in Baden has been holding regular STEM days for many years. A recent KOF study shows that pupils who have taken part in a TecDay are more likely to choose a STEM degree programme. And SATW's own surveys show that the TecDay is helpful for choosing subjects and studies and successfully shows pupils how and where theoretical knowledge can be applied beyond the school curriculum.
In addition to the workshops, the day offered a playful supporting programme in which the pupils could solve puzzles during the breaks. In the afternoon, numerous students gathered again in the assembly hall for a final keynote speech: aerospace engineer Chloé Carrière took them on a journey into space, in English, because science knows no language barriers. From rocket technology to missions to Mars: Carrière proved that even the most complex space technology can be explained in an understandable and lively way.
