Student Research Camp modeled after the ESFZ in Durban, South Africa
The project “ESFZ Student Research Camps for all kids of Durban” aims to establish the concept of the Erlangen Student Research Center and especially that of the research camps at the Erlangen Student Research Center at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, South Africa, and thus to redesign a MINT project that has already been very successful at FAU from the perspective of diversity, specifically with regard to ethnic background.
Being able to tinker with project ideas in physics and technology and receiving support in this regard is a fundamental aspect, independent of ethnic background and also regardless of sexual identity. While there is generally comparatively much support for young people worldwide in areas such as sports or music, there is a lack of such support in the MINT field or it is still insufficient and in need of expansion. This is particularly true for the African continent.
In a cooperation that has been ongoing for several years and funded by ERASMUS+ between UKZN (contact person: Dr. Tanja Reinhardt, head of the Science Center at UKZN) and FAU (contact person: Dr. Angela Fösel, Didactics of Physics and head of the ESFZ at FAU), the concept of the ESFZ was transferred to UKZN. Finally, from June 18 to June 21 in 2024, a 4-day research camp was conducted at UKZN for 9 young people from Durban and the surrounding area, following the example of the ESFZ.
The target group of the project “ESFZ Student Research Camps for all kids in Durban” initially includes students in Durban who enjoy tinkering with their own ideas in physics and technology, without any restrictions based on ethnic background or sexual gender. Also essential to the target group are the tutors of the research camps, dedicated and competent students from the natural sciences field. In addition to professional and didactic expertise, it is important for the success of the project that they are willing to support the youth in realizing their project ideas together and without prejudice, particularly regarding ethnic diversity.
Specifically, in the first research camp at UKZN, the seven girls and two boys were “randomly” Coloured; we did not inquire about the ethnic background of the youth when selecting participants for the research camp, and this should also remain a fundamental principle of the research camps at UKZN: In practical everyday life in South Africa, people are still often classified according to the four race groups “Blacks”, “Whites”, “Coloureds” and “Indians/Asians” or the five racial population groups “Black or Indigenous South African”, “Coloured South African”, “White South African” and “Indian/Asian South African.” However, in our project “ESFZ Student Research Camps for all kids of Durban”, the focus should absolutely be on the fun of tinkering with one’s own ideas, and there should be no place for racism! The same applies to the supervision of the youth: Dr. Tanja Reinhardt and Dr. Angela Fösel supervised the youth together with three experienced tutors (Elisabeth Meusert, Kosmas Dandl, Robin Barth) from the ESFZ and the four tutors from UKZN, Siphamandla Khoza (BSc Mechanical Engineering), Felicia Vilakazi (BSc Physics), Stuart Camp (BSc Physics), and Masibulele Gobo (BSc Elec Eng and MSc Physics) of various ethnic backgrounds.
The 9 teenagers researched a total of 8 different projects over the four days. For example, Elisabeth Meusert, together with the South African student Felicia Vilakazi, supported the project Quantum Mechanics/Entanglement: ‘under the microscope’ of the young researcher Nondumiso Dlamini. Both Elisabeth Meusert and Felicia Vilakazi are very experienced in the field of quantum physics, and they complemented each other excellently.
Long-term, the Science Center and the “School of Chemistry and Physics” at UKZN plan to jointly organize and finance research camps at the University of Durban for 10-15 teenagers once a year. The collaboration with the ESFZ will, of course, be maintained, and expertise will continue to be shared gladly.
Some participants were motivated to register their project for the “Eskom Expo” competition (comparable to the “Jugend forscht” competition). All described their participation as consistently positive, opening up new ways of thinking and new experiences. When asked about the greatest benefit of their participation in the Student Research Camp, student Asifunde Madiya replied: “Being here has helped me to bring my project to life”. He also noted personal growth from his participation: “I’ve learned, I’ve grown as a person, and I’ve improved my social skills”. Summarizing, student Zekhethelo Mbatha also stated: “We are given the ability to think outside the box, to be innovative and to come up with something new”, succinctly capturing the teaching goal of the ESFZ at FAU and UKZN.
For future camps, they wish for a larger number of participants, daily transportation to the Westville Campus of UKZN, and the provision of additional experimental materials. Interest in future research camps undoubtedly exists from the students’ side: “We had over 100 registrations. There is interest”, confirmed Dr. Tanja Reinhardt.
The tutors and lecturers at UKZN also describe the Student Research Camp as a successful and stimulating event: “I really enjoyed mentoring, being a supervisor on various projects. It’s an inspiration for me to be on the other side”, said Siphamandla Khoza. According to him, recruiting additional tutors would not be difficult given financial support. According to Thomas Konrad, Professor at the School of Chemistry and Physics, participation is a very special opportunity for students to realize their own projects and implement their creativity. “This will help them tremendously in developing self-confidence and motivation to study physics because motivation comes when you realize you can make a difference.” Prof. Alan Matthews, Head of Discipline Physics in the School of Chemistry and Physics at UKZN’s Westville Campus, also expressed on the question of the greatest benefit of participation for the students against the backdrop of the South African education system: “The concept of leading them through their own project, rather than just telling them what to do, is a very valuable didactic experience”.
Robin Barth, Kosmas Dandl, Dr. Angela Fösel, Elisabeth Meusert