On 21st January 2025, the Equal Opportunities Office, step in MINT, visited our Systems Biology Center BRICS with several students in grades 12 and 13.
The participants had the opportunity to experience real and pioneering research at first hand.
After a brief introduction to the basics of systems biology by Dr. Anita Remus, they took a closer look at various areas of biology. First, they visited the bioinformatics (Working group of Prof. Dr. Tim Kacprowski: Data Science in Biomedicine), where the participants were able to view the structure of proteins and enzymes using VR glasses. They also learned how sensors in a car can be used to record a driver's vital signs and thus, for example, recognize changes in the cardiovascular system during a car journey and intervene in good time. This smart car was provided by the PLRI.
In the microbiology laboratories (Working group of PD Dr. Rebekka Biedendieck: Applied Microbiology), the participants worked with cultivated bacterial cultures and examined them under a microscope. Even the untrained eye was able to recognize clear differences in the structure of the cultures.
This was followed by a focus on metabolites (Working group by Prof. Dr. Thekla Cordes: Cell Metabolism), i.e. substances involved in the metabolism of organisms. Here they learned a lot about basic research on cells. Because only those who understand healthy cells and their organisms can effectively research and combat disease!
