The NRW-wide zdi community received a new extracurricular place of learning on August 11, 2023: Minister of Science Ina Brandes officially opened it Pupils: indoor laboratory zdi-MINTlab in the SMART RECYCLING FACTORY Pohlsche Heide. The offers of the laboratory deal with the topics of sustainable recycling management and environmental technology.
Promote sustainable use of resources
Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science NRW, presented the zdi student laboratory certificate to the district president of the Detmold district, Anna Katharina Bölling, and the district administrator of the Minden-Lübbecke district, Ali Doğan. In her greeting, the minister addressed the young researchers who visited the new zdi school laboratory for the opening: "We urgently need more young people who are interested in science and technology. We will successfully master the major climate and energy challenges when more students like you are interested in topics such as environmental technology. The zdi laboratory in Hille is a great initiative to make the circular economy tangible with all senses and understandable in the literal sense. Here, waste is turned into recyclable materials that are reused. I can only encourage you: Use the opportunity to discover new things in science and technology. With this knowledge you will have the best chances on the job market!”
The new extracurricular place of learning sensitizes young people to the need for a changed and sustainable use of resources. At the same time, they have the opportunity to experience MINT professions up close and to try out and discover their skills.
District President Anna Katharina Bölling said: "Ostwestfalen-Lippe offers excellent prospects for specialists with STEM degrees to work in our region. In the zdi student laboratory zdi-MINTlab, young people can look into practice and get excited about a MINT degree or MINT training.”
District Administrator Ali Doğan was also happy about the official appointment to the zdi student laboratory: “The future belongs to the children. Here they see that there are many ways to design them yourself with good ideas and ingenuity.”
The students present at the opening were correspondingly enthusiastic and were able to present their first projects to those present. The focus was on the areas of plastic and textile recycling and there was a lot to discover about the recycling and upcycling of the various materials.
With the zdi networks and -Students:indoor laboratories extracurricular learning locations can be found across the whole of NRW. They thus form an important part of the extracurricular educational landscape. The previous disposal center “Pohlsche Heide” will be realigned SMART RECYCLING FACTORY. The aim is to establish a learning landscape through the competence and innovation center for recycling and the circular economy. The zdi-MINTlab is a component of the overall project that was implemented and is part of the zdi-MINT educational work in the Minden-Lübbecke district.
