STEM education

The SIEGENIA technology camp enters its 2nd round – about marble runs and MINT

From July 8 to 11, 2024, the 2nd SIEGENIA Technology Camp took place at the SIEGENIA GRUPPE in Wilnsdorf-Niederdielfen. 8 pupils from Niederdielfen secondary school worked with trainees from the SIEGENIA GROUP, Team Fab Lab from the University of Siegen and FRids e.V. built and 3D-printed marble runs. The low-threshold activity was designed to get children interested in STEM subjects and introduce them to technical professions.

Elon Musk’s laptops, 3D printers and satellite internet were brought from the Fab Lab in Siegen to the training center to provide the necessary infrastructure. This concept proved to be very successful at the 1st SIEGENIA Technology Camp during the Easter vacations. Over four days, the children were taken from 0 to 100 – they became experts in topics relating to additive manufacturing, reverse engineering and design. The whole thing revolved around the construction of marble runs – what to do if parts of the run are suddenly missing? Measurements had to be taken with calipers – accurate to two decimal places. The measurements were then recorded on paper sketches. In the final step, the sketches were converted into digital drawings and printed out using the 3D printer.

© SIEGENIA GRUPPE

FRids e.V. once again provided support with its many years of experience in youth work. Four energetic trainees from the SIEGENIA GROUP looked after the children and provided guidance at the training center. Machines such as the band saw in particular need to be looked after, because it’s not just about 3D printing. The entire training center could be used to solve the tasks. As part of the “EnvironMINT” project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Fab Lab team at the University of Siegen investigated the conditions for the success of good STEM education. “We want to enable cool STEM formats in the region that provide low-threshold access to technical topics and at least do not obviously have to do with “learning”. “Kids are already learning enough at school,” says Marios Mouratidis, Head of the Fab Lab at the University of Siegen. In this format, the partners placed great emphasis on self-determined, problem-solving and creative action on the part of the participants. While the basics were taught after just 1-2 days, the young people were then able to use the remaining time creatively and produce their own components for the marble runs.

On the last day of the technology camp, a closing event was held to which the parents of the participants were invited. Here, the young people had the opportunity to present their results.

© SIEGENIA GRUPPE

The technology camp is organized in cooperation with Nina Herter and Sven Wiechmann from the SIEGENIA GROUP, Marios Mouratidis, head of the Fab Lab at the University of Siegen and Ulrike Monreal from FRids e.V.. The partners plan to continue promoting STEM in Siegen-Wittgenstein in the future.

On Thursday, July 11, the parents of the participants were invited to a presentation of the results.

By Michelle Harwart, ago

Train-The-Trainer Workshop for SIEGENIA trainees at the Fab Lab Siegen

From the 25th to the 28th of March, a technology camp will take place at the SIEGENIA Ausbildungszentrum, which we are organising together with the SIEGENIA GROUP and FRids e.V.. The technology camp will give pupils from regional schools the opportunity to learn the basics of 3D-modelling and 3D-printing.

In order to provide the students with the best possible support, seven motivated trainees who work at SIEGENIA in the toolmaking and mechatronics departments were introduced to 3D printing in a train-the-trainer workshop here at the Fab Lab last week. Over the course of two days, our two colleagues, Marios Mouratidis and Jonas Kosiahn, taught the trainees how the technology works and how they can design and print their own models.

At the beginning of the workshop, the trainees were given an introduction to 3D printing and the modelling software TinkerCAD. Based on that, they were able to complete their first task: they independently modelled SIEGENIA key chains in TinkerCAD and then printed them.

The trainees then worked with a ball track system and designed and printed spare parts. The trainees had the task of recreating individual parts of the ball track system in TinkerCAD and then printing them using our 3D printers. Thanks to the practical approach in the workshop, the trainees were able to apply the knowledge they had acquired directly and are now ready for the technology camp!

We are delighted to be able to support STEM education in the region with our collaboration partners, the SIEGENIA GROUP and FRids e.V.. We really enjoyed the workshop and look forward to seeing how the trainees pass on their newly learnt skills to the pupils at the upcoming technology camp!

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

DRK x Fab Lab Siegen: 3D-Printing and Robotic Workshops for young people!

Fab Lab Siegen is not only a space for creation, but also for knowledge transfer. In our Fab Lab, we want to give everyone access to technology and knowledge. Since mid January 2023, we have been welcoming young refugees from Ukraine once a week (fridays from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm).

Together we try out different technologies. So far, we were able to get to know 3D printing, laser cutting and robotics as well as programming with the Calliope Mini. We also held a PC-builder workshop where the participants were taught how to dis- and reassemble a computer. Through hands-on activities including play-doh modeling, Tinkercad design sessions and 3D printing projects, participants can bring their ideas to life. The creations span from protective cases for the Calliope mini microcontroller, Batman-themed rings and stylish key chains, all the way to meticulously crafted miniature cars.

Using a digital hangman game, developed by Hina Firdaus, we were able to teach the children fundamental programming skills. These first experiences paved the way to showing them further programming concepts like loops, conditional statements and variables.
With this knowledge we were able to realize exciting projects, e.g., a light sensor-equipped scooter, a functional traffic light simulation and even a miniature piano that responds to its programming inputs.

Thanks to funding from the Bürgerstiftung Siegen, we were able to organize and run this series of workshops in close cooperation with the DRK Kreisverband Siegen-Wittgenstein e.V.. So far, we have held more than 35 sessions, teaching more than 20 enthusiastic participants about the technologies in our Fab Lab.

The workshops are led by our team, especially Hina Firdaus and Marios Mouratidis. In addition, we have dedicated volunteers, including among others the honorary translators Anastasiya Nazarava, Gkiorgki Tataridis and Sonal Seth as well as technical support from Florian Anderes and Mallikarjuna Reddy. All of them support our workshops, ensuring that participants have an enjoyable and inclusive learning experience.

In our Fab Lab, we are committed to creating a safe environment where people can learn and grow together with us.
We’re looking forward to the upcoming weeks! If you are interested in helping, feel free to contact Sara Schneider via E-Mail (). We are still looking for more helpers who would like to shape the program with us.

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

Build your own PC! – the Computer-Workshop

For the first time, we held a two-part workshop at the Fab Lab, where young people learnt the basics of the components that are used in a computer. Besides a few short theoretical parts, the main focus was on practice: we wanted to enable the participants to apply what they have learnt in practice.

As you might remember: with the support of SIEGENIA, we were able to transport four pallets full of computers that were donated to us. These made it possible for each participant to work on their own PC and even take it home with them at the end – free of charge!

In the first part of the workshop, we started from scratch – no previous experience needed. We clarified questions such as “What is a computer?” and “How does it work?”. To summarise briefly: A computer is an information processing machine that receives, processes and outputs data from users.

We then explained the individual components of a computer to the participants and showed them where they can be found inside the computer. The importance of thermal paste was also discussed in this section of the workshop, which helps to cool the main processor (CPU) so that the computer does not overheat.

The third and final theoretical part dealt with how a computer can be kept clean to prevent “dust bunnies” and ensure air flow. If you clean your computer regularly, you can save time and money, as it will last longer! Therefore, the individual parts must be cleaned carefully. They should be removed one by one and cleaned with cotton buds and isopropanol, never with water!

With all this knowledge, we then moved on to the practical part. The participants were now able to start disassembling their computers part by part, first SSD, then RAM, then the CPU fan and finally the CPU itself. A handout explaining the individual steps enabled the participants to work independently.

Individual parts, including the fan and the CPU, were then cleaned before the participants could begin to reassemble the computer. This also involved using the thermal paste, which was applied to the CPU in the shape of an ‘X’.

After that, the participants learnt about operating systems and installed one on their own computer. It manages applications and combines hardware and software. It is there to manage files, memory and running processes and provides the user interface.

Finally, it was important for us to inform the participants about possible dangers on the internet so that they are well prepared to use the computer after the workshop. Among other things, we took a closer look at data and browser security, phishing as well as scams. Therefore, we used case studies to illustrate these topics in a realistic way for the participants.

We had a lot of fun organising this workshop and are happy that we are able to offer such a workshop. The Computer-Workshop will continue to take place in the future. If you are interested in participating or supporting as a volunteer, you are welcome to contact Jonas Kosiahn via email (). Maybe we’ll see each other at the next one!

By Marios Mouratidis, ago