This year, FORSCHA, an interactive science fair that invites children and adults to learn new things, experiment, and experience knowledge firsthand at informational and hands-on stations, took place for the first time at the shopping center “FORUM Schwanthalerhöhe”. Despite the new location, some things remained the same: On Friday morning, when school classes and kindergarten groups are traditionally invited to visit FORSCHA, children flocked to the shopping center in droves.
At the Munich Quantum Valley (MQV) booth, the youngest visitors were amazed by “magic tricks” in the form of optical illusions. The fact that two discs (polarization filters) suddenly block your view when you twist them against each other fascinated even the youngest visitors, who were exploring FORSCHA accompanied by their nursery teachers. Primary school students learned what atoms are, while older students from secondary schools were already interested in quantum computers and enjoyed examining exhibits such as the 17-qubit chip from the Walther Meißner Institute.
Large crowds at the stands of MQV, PhotonLab, and GALaQSci
The button machine was popular with all groups and in high demand throughout Friday morning. Younger children and older students alike wanted to press their own buttons featuring quantum motifs and take them home as souvenirs. Crowds of children and young people also gathered at the two neighboring stands where the MQV partners PhotonLab and GALaQSci were represented. At the GALaQSci booth, visitors could test an early version of the smartphone game “Qookies“ on tablets. In this game, players must solve various puzzles, with quantum science concepts and technologies being imparted gradually over several levels.
On Friday afternoon, the hustle and bustle subsided somewhat. Now it was mainly adult visitors who came to the MQV booth, albeit in smaller numbers, but with many interested and sometimes very in-depth questions – ranging from details about quantum sensor technology to the development of quantum computer hardware, possible applications, and the potential of this technology.
