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We are right in the middle of it — Carl Zeiss in Jena is one prime example. This is where specialists develop and manufacture high- quality microscopes. Once a year, the scientists aren’t the only stars for a change — at the “Children’s Day of Microscopy”, it is up-and- coming youngsters who are in the spotlight. On November 11, the nationwide German competition “365 Places in the Land of Ideas” made the Children’s Day one of the “Selected Places of 2010” in the Land of Ideas, together with eight other projects in eastern German state of Thuringia.

The big day came round again in November: about 350 twelve- to thirteen-year-olds from Jena schools experienced a very special lesson at Carl Zeiss Jena’s 6th “Children’s Day of Microscopy”. Experts demonstrated everything that can be discovered with a microscope. The day started for the kids with a few brief instructions from the specialists. Then the young scientists were invited to examine specimens themselves.

For example, they were able to observe the life in a drop of water at more than 100 times magnification, and had also been asked to bring along some objects of their own. After the event, the students can now answer questions about the internal life of a leaf, what a cross-section of paper has to offer or what the surface of a hair looks like. With the “Children’s Day of Microscopy”, the high-tech company opens the door to the fascinating world of research for young people.

November 17, 2010