A robot dog, ice in the shape of an insulator and lightning in the lab - a look back at the Long Night of Science on 20 June 2025
Applied research is the great strength of HTWK Leipzig and this was demonstrated at this year's Long Night of Science for many children and adults to see and experience. Around 40 hands-on stations and exhibits to touch and try out as well as guided tours of otherwise closed laboratories and exciting lectures awaited guests at HTWK Leipzig on 20 June 2025 from 6 pm.
The researchers and employees from around 30 research, teaching and study areas at HTWKLeipzig once again offered a varied and interesting programme. This was part of a total of almost 700 individual events organised by the 55 participating research institutions in the city of Leipzig on the evening of the Long Night of Science - a new record! Visitors were able to explore topics such as artificial intelligence, climate change, the energy transition, medicine, society and culture throughout the city.
Technology to try out and laboratories to marvel at
Many other stations were also playful and informative at the same time: Interested visitors were able to try out the HUMEN® dynamics system to see which movements put strain on the body and how, compete against a fast Scara robot in a game of tic-tac-toe or programme stage technology themselves in the hardware lab. The new generation of robot football also attracted a lot of attention, as did the new robotic four-legged friend who, after a lecture on bionics, went for a walk in and in front of the Nieper Building and gave many a guest a paw.
The guests were also amazed again during the laboratory tours: The scanning electron microscope, for example, once again caused wide-eyed amazement, because at a magnification of 1,000 times, it becomes clear that many a smooth surface actually has a rugged structure. In the hydraulic engineering laboratory, guests were able to experience the dangers associated with flash floods and heavy rainfall using two models. During the lab tour on digital reconstruction, visitors even brought their own "patients", including a piece of an old teapot, as the researchers showed how spare parts can be created for defective everyday objects that are otherwise no longer available to buy. The researchers revealed further secrets about Printing and Packaging Technology in the neighbouring Media Centre and Gutenbergbau.
Revealing secrets
The youngest visitors also had difficult problems to solve: The chemistry group at the Centre for Mathematics and Natural Sciences prepared experiments for children from primary school age onwards that showed the ingredients of water. The budding chemistry detectives in their white coats worked out what was happening in the aquarium and why the fish were in a bad way. The University Library's new escape game was also a resounding success, with interested visitors spending an hour solving puzzles.
While the sun was still shining outside for a long time on this Friday evening, there was lightning in a laboratory: at the Wiener Bau, researchers demonstrated the fascinating effects of electricity in the high-voltage laboratory. After the demonstrations, most of the visitors treated themselves to a delicious ice cream in the shape of an insulator at the Makers Lab, which not only offered ice cream creations with its workshop and ice cream trolley, but also showed the way from the idea to the finished ice cream product, or they got to grips with robotics - because both adults and children had the opportunity to control them themselves and learn more about the technology behind them.
Alumni meeting: Computer Science and Autonomous Driving
After many years, an alumni meeting of the Computer Science, Mathematics and Natural Sciences degree programmes also took place again as part of the Science Night. The alumni and alumnae were not only able to find out more about the development of the Computer Science teaching and research area, but also see demonstrations of autonomous driving by the university's smart driving team. A repeat event is planned for the next Science Night.
The picture galleries provide further impressions.
At the central campus: In the Nieper building
At the central campus: Other buildings
At the campus in the south centre: Wiener-Bau
