PILOT supports Soapbox Sciene Munich
PILOT is supporting the Munich Soapbox Science Event!
Come and visit the Event on July 5th from 2-5 pm at Rindermarkt in Munich.
For more Information, check out: https://munichsoapboxscience.com/our-events/
From Classroom to Laboratory:
High School Students Explore Biomedical Research at the Munich TRR 359 site
©V. Kochan
One of the missions of TRR 359 is to make the research accessible and understandable to all. A key aspect of this mission is to provide young people with early insights into the daily work of scientists — fostering curiosity, scientific literacy, and informed perspectives on biomedical topics.
In celebration of this year's Science Day on November 10th, Roland Immler (TRR359 B02) and Verena Kochan (coordinator TRR359 CoPILOT) collaborated with the dedicated team at the Institute of Cardiovascular Physiology and Pathophysiology at the BMC to put on an outreach event for young people. This involved opening their laboratories to visiting students from two high schools in the Munich area, Gymnasium Lindenberg (Allgäu) and Christoph-Probst-Gymnasium (Gilching). Students from these schools were able to visit the Institute for a day of talks and hands-on activities, providing them with an exciting and interactive introduction to biomedical research and the daily life of scientists.
The day began with a welcome by the Head of the Institute, Prof. Christian Wahl-Schott, who introduced the students to the BMC and its research environment. Roland Immler and Markus Sperandio (B02/B07) provided an overview of their research, highlighting the core focus of PILOT.
The program continued with practical lab work, including blood typing and microscopy of the students’ own blood cells — a vivid experience of science in action. After a lunch break, the students explored advanced research labs, where they observed experiments on leukocyte recruitment and engaged in discussions with PhD students and postdocs about their work and scientific careers.
The day concluded with a thoughtful discussion on ethical aspects of biomedical research, underscoring the importance of scientific literacy in an era of rapid developments and widespread misinformation.
“Our BMC School Day aims to provide students with a realistic and inspiring insight into biomedical research,” said Roland Immler. “In times of fake news, it is crucial to offer young people a solid scientific foundation,” added Verena Kochan.
For the students, the day at the BMC was a memorable experience — and perhaps a first step toward a future in science.
Given the very positive feedback from both classes, PILOT’s Steering Committee has decided to organize a comparable event across all TRR 359 sites in the coming year.
