We were warmly welcomed by Professor Anne Staubitz and Doctor Arne Wittstock who told us about the schedule of our activities for the two coming days of our stay in Bremen.
Anne Staubitz is working on the synthesis of new molecular switches, switchable polymeric systems and their application in materials science. Furthermore, the group is also developing organo-tin chemistry, in particular heterocycles, and group 13 / group 15 element combinations in organic scaffolds. She’s at the head of a team of 10 people.
https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/staubitz
We had the opportunity to attend an inorganic chemistry class for first year students. The subject was halogens and chalcogens.
Professor Beckmann presented several properties of these chemical elements and related experiments. The practical part was performed by either students attending the course or advanced students assisting Professor Beckmann.
The aim of the course is to provide students with a general chemical background combined with in-depth notions such as electronic structure, mesomerism, kinetics, thermodynamics (Joule Thompson effect…)
It’s worth mentioning the quality of the working conditions and the laid-back yet serious behaviour of the students.
We were also given a tour of the lab by Marcia Wafaee, postdoc in Pr Staubitz’s research group. By the time we were there, experiments on azobenzene were being carried out. Products were characterized using a 600MHz NMR device. The equipment is modern and high performing
Martina Osmers is a doctor in the organic chemistry team. She offers laboratory experiences for children up to young adults as a form of outreach. Currently, her lab workshops are "Meer essen" which means: "Eat the sea" and it is about harvesting algae from the sea.
https://www.leibniz-zmt.de/de/neuigkeiten/nachrichten-aktuelles/archiv-news/meer-essen.html
We took part in these very interesting lab workshops among involved high school students. The point was mainly to arouse curiosity, raise awareness about sustainable development and inspire vocations towards natural science fields.
We also met Doctor Tobias Himmler who is working in the geoscience department of Bremen University. We were able to compare the French and German University organizations in terms of recruitment, programs and evaluation. We agreed that the Bachelor from Fachhochschule is what corresponds best to the French BTS training.
Practice of the English language is stimulating regarding the German staff’s mastering of this language.
We were warmly welcomed and people showed interest in French studies organization and showed a deep interest in our presentation of Lycée Saint-Louis and its different post graduate programs. They were able to appreciate our modern and diverse equipment.
We hope to deepen and reinforce these working links with Germany. Staff and student motilities could therefore be planned. Hopefully, we expect to welcome a German researcher in our school for a conference which would benefit Lycée Saint-Louis’s students.
Sylvie MONTEIRO & Frédérique BRAUD, teachers in BTS MDC