idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is world-renowned for advancing the frontiers of science, and this January its MIT-Germany program – part of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) – collaborated with Constructor University on a localized mission in Germany: to inspire and equip Bremen's next generation of scientists. For the ninth consecutive year, students from MIT and Constructor University came together to deliver MINTernational – a collaborative educational initiative that brought 26 STEM-oriented high-school students from Bremen to the Constructor University campus for a week-long, immersive series of science workshops.
MINTernational is conducted within the framework of MISTI Global Teaching Labs, which provides MIT students opportunities to design and lead hands-on science instruction in collaboration with host institutions worldwide. This year’s workshops explored advanced topics in chemistry and physics, and were collaboratively planned and led by student instructors from both institutions: third-year MIT Chemistry major Brian Ma, alongside Constructor University science students Noah Horne, Ankit Lamsal and Friedrich Matteo Lüderitz. Constructor University Professors Dr. Ulrich Kortz and Dr. Jürgen Fritz also provided invaluable academic guidance and instructional support to the student instructors. This year’s event was once again sponsored by the Bremer Schütting-Stiftung foundation, enabling all students to participate free of charge.
For the 26 participating high school students with an interest in STEM subjects, the workshops offered first-hand engagement with the scientific process through interactive experiments and guided lab work. For the supervisors, it provided an opportunity to connect with and guide young learners, while hopefully inspiring them to pursue a path similar to their own.
“I still remember what drove me to study at Constructor,” explained Lüderitz, who is in his third year of Chemistry and Biotechnology studies. "Just like our MINTernational students, I took advanced chemistry in high school, and it was my teacher's great passion that made me want to keep going with chemistry in university. By joining MINTernational in 2026, I hoped to share this kind of passion with younger students who may follow the same path as me.”
Visiting MIT student Brian Ma partnered with Lüderitz on the chemistry workshop and echoed the value of the experience, both for those developing the workshops and those participating in them. “I worked closely with Matteo on preparing our MINTernational workshop and could really feel his passion for teaching,” he said. “We spent two weeks working hard to prepare the content and were very happy with the outcome. The most important takeaway from this trip for me was the experience I gained preparing engaging workshop sessions like these.”
The workshops included hands-on lab work that gave participants early access to university-level research methods and facilities, and the exploration of theoretical concepts that continue to advance the frontiers of science. “While developing the curriculum, we tried to emphasize areas of physics that still require more work,” said student supervisor and physics major Noah Horne. “One of our goals was for students to come away with inspiration and knowledge of the vastness of these subjects, so we felt it was important to show them that these fields are not yet ‘complete’. There is always more to uncover," he said.
Beyond the direct learning experience, MINTernational also gave the German students positive exposure to a truly international academic environment, with workshops conducted fully in English and hosted on Constructor University’s culturally diverse campus, comprising students from over 125 countries. The result was a truly unique learning experience that participants are likely to cherish for years to come.
“The students seemed to really enjoy this year’s event,” said Constructor University Director of Student Affairs Freia Hardt. “Not only the fantastic workshops and English-language instruction, but also the opportunity to meet new people from all over the world and make new friends. It really was an experience like no other.”
The same rang true for Brian Ma as he prepared to travel back to MIT after concluding his first visit to Germany and Constructor University. “I didn't know much about Constructor University before participating in this program, but after spending three weeks here I truly believe this is a lovely campus,” said Ma, reflecting on the personal connections he made during his stay. “The students I've met here are all amazing in their own way.” While the intensive schedule didn’t leave much time to be a tourist, Ma enjoyed exploring the scenic gardens and architecture on campus, as well as experiencing Germany’s iconic rail infrastructure. “Germany is famous for its comprehensive railway coverage, so after arriving in Hamburg I spent time traveling through the city on both the S- and U-Bahns before taking the intercity train to Constructor,” he explained. “I found the trains here to be very comfortable and convenient,” he said, though he now takes the old expression about German trains running on time with a grain of salt. “Although the delays for the intercity trains were a bit annoying, the overall experience was still very good.”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YK5bdgG9j5k - MINTernational highlight video
https://misti.mit.edu/types-programs/global-teaching-labs - MIT's MISTI Global Teaching Labs
Students participate in MINTernational 2026 at Constructor University.
Source: Constructor University
Criteria of this press release:
Business and commerce, Journalists, Scientists and scholars, Students, Teachers and pupils, all interested persons
interdisciplinary
transregional, national
Miscellaneous scientific news/publications, Schools and science
English
Students participate in MINTernational 2026 at Constructor University.
Source: Constructor University
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
