“Just give it a go” is the motto of the IdeenExpo (external link, opens in a new window), which attracted more than 400,000 visitors to Hanover from 20 to 28 June. With its hands-on activities, Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences consistently put this motto into practice and promoted the natural sciences and technical careers.
On Ostfalia’s 500-square-metre stand in Hall 7, the multi-storey Carrera racetrack immediately catches the eye. Here, visitors can use a controller to steer a racing car against self-driving models. Many guests at the stand are also fascinated by the voice-controlled robots Robbi and Nao, and the teddy bear that hovers thanks to an electromagnet.
Hands-on activities organised by Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences are delighting children and young people at the IdeenExpo
But it is not just these exhibits from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology that are proving popular. Young people with a particular interest in sport are drawn to the ‘Powerhouse’ of the Faculty of Supply Engineering. There, using a rowing machine and exercise bikes, they can discover how much muscle power is required to generate and supply electricity and test their own strength. Along the way, the workings of a fuel cell and a heat pump are clearly explained.
The hands-on activity organised by the Faculty of Transport, Sport, Tourism and Media is also proving extremely popular: hundreds of visitors are taking the opportunity to use green-screen technology to take souvenir photos against virtual backdrops. The photos and a magnetic Ostfalia picture frame are highly sought-after souvenirs.
Sustainable materials, future mobility and climate protection at the Ostfalia stand
The exhibits from the Faculty of Automotive Engineering focus on the mobility and materials of the future. Alongside a recycling station, the design lab is attracting particular interest, where school pupils can design objects made from renewable materials. There, they work not with simple wood fibre boards, but with an innovative composite material held together by mycelium. Mycelium is the delicate root system of fungi and permeates, for example, the forest floor.
The Faculty of Civil Engineering, Water and Soil at the Ostfalia Suderburg Campus has also pulled out all the stops. Using virtual reality headsets, visitors can view the inside of a concrete slab or a bridge, thereby discovering structures from a completely new perspective. The wave channel, on the other hand, offers a highly tactile and vivid experience: here, it becomes clear what rising sea levels mean for coastal protection.
The student racing team, wob-racing (external link, opens in a new window), is also taking part in Ostfalia’s presence at the IdeenExpo, as are the Central Student Advisory Service and the Marketing and Communications team. The Knowledge and Technology Transfer department is coordinating the preparations, logistics and the deployment of more than 30 staff members every day. During their visits to Hanover, Ostfalia President (m.d.W.G.b.) Volker Küch and Vice-President Prof. Dr Ina Schiering praised the teamwork of everyone involved.
Positive feedback also from politics and the civil service
The welcoming, accessible hands-on activities have also received positive feedback from key figures in politics, the state administration and academia. During his tour, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, focuses in particular on the Mycelium project and the Design Lab. Prof. Dr Ingo Johannsen and Prof. Dr Max Ehleben explain to the Minister the steps that need to be taken on the path to industrial-scale production. State Secretary Veronika Dicke, the State of Lower Saxony’s Plenipotentiary to the Federal Government, says: “There really is a huge variety on display here at your stand.”
Positive reactions such as these, along with enthusiastic children and interested young people, motivate the Ostfalia team to bring hands-on science back to Hanover at the IdeenExpo 2028 – just give it a go!
