On Saturday, February 8, 2025, the Campus Poppelsdorf once again transformed into a paradise for curious young minds. As part of this year’s Wissenschaftsrallye (engl. science rally), more than 300 participants aged 13 and older had the opportunity to explore 14 different institutions, including mathematical, natural science, agricultural, and medical institutes, museums, and research facilities.
While topics such as astronomy, number games, and biological experiments provided a diverse program, the Computer Science station stood out with its interactive introduction to the world of show laser projection. A total of 159 students in over 45 small groups took advantage of the opportunity to program their own laser graphics on a computer.
Laser Show: Programming, Mixing, Marveling
The Computer Science Station was all about the fascinating technology of light. Participants explored how a laser show is created, how laser projections work, how red, green, and blue laser beams can be mixed to create new colors, and how moving mirrors generate impressive laser graphics.
The hands-on section of the station provided a unique challenge: in small groups, students could develop their own laser graphics using programming languages such as Java, Python, or Rust. Several introductory stations familiarized them with the technology before they designed their own creative laser effects. At the end, the programmed graphics were played in sequence, creating a small, self-designed laser show.
For those who wanted to continue exploring the topic after the Science Rally, a Gitlab page was made available. This platform contains all the tools and programming templates (in Python, Java, and Rust) used at the four parallel stations during the event.
A great success for the Wissenschaftsrallye Poppelsdorf 2025
The event concluded in the late afternoon at the Anatomical Institute, where participants who had collected at least ten stamps on their rally pass received their prize. The Computer Science Station left a lasting impression with its exciting combination of technology, creativity, and programming, demonstrating how fascinating and tangible computer science can be.
Special thanks for the organization and helping hands go to the computer science students Roman Lichnock, Finn Kalvelage, Daniel Lingnau, Lasse Götte and Alexander Wallau as well as the research assistants Lennart Buhl, Dr. Nils Goerke, Dr. Michael Nüsken and above all Dr. Matthias Frank.
A video of the Science Rally 2025 is available on Youtube offering an exciting glimpse into the event.
Looking Ahead: Wissenschaftsrallye 2025 at Hofgarten
Following the successful event in Poppelsdorf, the next Science Rally is already scheduled: the next Science Rally around Hofgarten will take place on May 10, 2025. Once again, numerous stations will offer young researchers the chance to participate in exciting experiments and interactive challenges. More Information (in German): https://www.uni-bonn.de/de/studium/studienorientierung-und-uni-bonn-entdecken/junge-uni/veranstaltungen-und-wettbewerbe/wissenschaftsrallyes/hofgarten
