17 June 2011, Amsterdam A University taking SiS activities to children in an urban context University of Tübingen goes to small towns Michael Seifert, Head of external and internal communication

2 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen University of Tübingen Situated in southwestern Germany founded in students 400 professors scientists graduates/year 180 partner universities around the world Tübingen

Children's University: The Beginning 3 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen - First lecture in June hundreds of children in a lecture hall - one professor answering a “why?” question and explaining his field of knowledge - academic rituals: Student IDs for the kids; starting cum tempore, knocking on the table for applause etc.

4 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen Today: more than 200 Children's Universities in about 25 countries. At least 70 Children's Universities in Germany. A European Network: EUCU.NET Children's Uni - a European Boom!

5| Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen Children's University today : 10th Children’s University in Tübingen - still plenty of kids in the University’s lecture halls - the Children’s Uni Research Day with decentralized workshops and hands-on activities all along the campus - the newest trend: love letters in the Children’s University

6 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen our 3 experiences 2nd wave of expansion: Tübingen Children's University goes to small towns and sets up branches there Very simple model: exportation of Tübingen professors – local organization by enthusiastic volunteers ● Weil der Stadt Haiterbach ● ● Schramberg ● Tübingen

Weil der Stadt - 20,000 inhabitants - 20 km to Stuttgart and 40 km to Tübingen - close to the industrial zone of Daimler, IBM, Hewlett Packard... - Kepler Town: the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler was born here 7 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen

8 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen - an initiative of a former executive and a group of retired people - Children's University since aim: to bring the academic content and the atmosphere of a university to the kids in a small town - based on the model of the Tübingen Children's University - Inspiration: the spirit of Kepler Weil der Stadt – the history

9 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen - four lectures per winter and summer term - about 150 children per lecture - parents can follow the lecture from the gallery - lecturers from Tübingen University, but also from other German Universities Weil der Stadt – Profile 1

10 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen Weil der Stadt – Profile 2 - diploma reward system: children become clever “foxes of Weil” after attending 10 lectures - high constancy - nice ritual : the night watchman of the town closes the lecture - participation of kids in the Tübingen Research Day - innovation in 2011: excursions to workshops in companies and universities - very active homepage and an own anthem - summary: the program has developed a degree of independence from Tübingen despite close cooperation

Schramberg - about inhabitants - in the center of five valleys within the heart of the Black Forest - early industrial town, famous for its clocks and watches (Junghans) - a center of the Swabian carnival 11 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen

Schramberg – history 12 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen - organizer: JUKS (youth and children’s office of S.) deals with integration, participation and gender issues; intercultural activities - and Marktplatz Kirche: an ecumenical initiative by Catholic and Protestant communities for adults - Children's University since 2007 (Tübingen model)

Schramberg – Profile 1 13 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen - close cooperation with schools: reaching children who wouldn’t usually get into science due to their family background - links to special programs like Prima Klima - kids do a kind of evaluation of the Profs participants per lecture

14 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen Schramberg – Profile 2 - winter – and summer terms - children travel from up to 20 km away - the program here strictly follows the Tübingen model - cooperation with Tübingen though nearer to the University of Freiburg, but Freiburg has no Children’s University...

Haiterbach/ Ebhausen - really small towns with 5,600 and 4,700 inhabitants - Haiterbach has nevertheless had town status since 13th century - situated in the northern part of the Black Forest in a rural environment 15 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen

Haiterbach – history 16 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen - an initiative of the former mayor - Children's University since cooperation of two communities - part of the project family-friendly Haiterbach

17 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen Haiterbach – profile - the 5th series of lectures starts in autumn - about 100 children per lecture - children are invited in classes or come with their parents - buses bring the children in classes from neighboring areas - family background of the children: no academics

Perhaps the 4th case study: CU of the Heidengraben* Three villages are planning to set up the first C.U. in a village - following the Tübingen model - in cooperation with the University of Tübingen and the University of Applied Sciences Nürtingen: start November 2011? * trench of the pagans = a plain in the Swabian Jura hills which was the largest known „oppidum“ during the Celtic period 18 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen

19 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen Philosophy? - Children’s University in Tübingen was a spontaneous accidental mutation of the species University - it was conceived as a funny and captivating idea and the hope of a big PR effect - a philosophy was created afterwards when the media were asking “Why are you doing this?” - bricks of this philosophy: early contact with science, better image, to interest more social classes for science, student marketing… - as the mutation worked and had many descendants it survived

20 | Taking SiS activities to children in an urban context © 2011 Universität Tübingen Surprising Insights – Examples - during a lifetime of 70 years you spend 4.5 years dreaming - hearing rock music is to make the ear cells dance to its rhythm - nightingales also follow grammatical rules which the young have to learn - kids of the Ice Age wouldn’t have problems in todays’ schools - bacteria have only two hobbies: they reproduce every 30 minutes and they eat and eat and eat