How can we inspire young people early on to become interested in science, research, and studying in the field of biosciences?

In July, we had the pleasure of welcoming 100 students from the 11th grade of a Munich MINT-EC secondary school.

To begin with, the young adults had the opportunity to attend a pharmacology lecture on pain at TUM as part of the Bachelor’s degree program in Biosciences. This allowed them to experience the university campus atmosphere and gain an initial impression of what studying in the field of biosciences can feel like. At the same time, they learned in the lecture how pain arises, which pharmacological agents are available, and what their respective advantages and disadvantages are.

Afterwards, we continued on to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Together with the Young Academy of the BAdW, we had prepared a follow-up program to show the students a range of future perspectives.

The students gained insights into the BMFTR-funded future cluster CNATM, the significance of clusters, and the future-oriented topic of nucleic acids, as well as opportunities to learn more about the Young Academy scholarship.

Particularly valuable were the personal accounts shared afterwards by two Young Academy scholars and two postdocs, who spoke about their career paths, key milestones, and practical tips with the students.

Our goal was to spark curiosity among potential researchers of the future at an early stage, provide orientation, and show how diverse and relevant biosciences and nucleic acids are as the third major class of pharmacological agents for our future. Our thanks go to everyone involved who made this inspiring day possible — and, of course, to the students for their interest and questions.