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The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
The following four lectures on the topic of ‘Material Worlds’ will be offered:
12 November 2025: What holds the world together?
Karen Lienkamp, Professor of Polymer Materials
Have you ever wondered what actually holds our world together? Professor Karen Lienkamp will answer this question together with you in the first lecture of the Saar Children's University this winter semester on the topic of ‘Material Worlds’.
10 December 2025 – Christmas lecture: Can steel change the world?
Dr Sebastian Scholl, materials scientist at Dillinger in the Research and Development department
Steel – can a material change the world? Materials scientist Sebastian Scholl will explore this question in this year's Christmas lecture. Steel has become an integral part of our everyday lives: tools, cars, wind turbines and much more. The modern world would no longer function without steel from the Saarland. Its internal structure makes it one of the strongest and most versatile building materials of our time. Steel will continue to be of great importance in the future: environmentally friendly technologies require steel, and steel manufacturers themselves are making a decisive contribution to protecting our climate by switching to the production of environmentally friendly steel. The lecture takes children on a journey of discovery to find out what steel can do and where it connects people and their ideas.
14 January 2026: Is it possible to find out what's inside a Kinder Surprise egg without opening it?
Dr Sarah Fischer, scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing
Wouldn't it be handy to have a superpower that lets you see inside things? In this lecture, the children will discover together with the speaker how science makes this possible. This is not only useful for choosing the perfect surprise egg in the shop. Engineers use this method every day to test aeroplanes, trains and much more to avoid any nasty surprises. A simple Kinder Surprise egg thus becomes a real technical case for young material detectives.
28 January 2026: Why can't roller coasters be built without metalworking?
Dirk Bähre, Professor of Manufacturing Technology,
Vanessa Traut, doctoral candidate at the Chair of Manufacturing Technology,
Cecilia Elisabeth Klein, student assistant at the Chair of Manufacturing Technology
How is the loop of a roller coaster made from metal? And how do engineers manage to form curved rails from metal blocks? In this lecture, we will find out how metalworking turns an idea into a technical adventure.
All lectures begin at 4:15 p.m. and last approximately 45 minutes. Each lecture is preceded by a supporting programme, which starts at 3:15 p.m. Parents can follow the lecture via livestream in a ‘parents' lecture hall’ (in room 0.18, at the back of the Audimax).
Registration for all four lectures is possible until 11 November via the following link: https://www.kinderuni.saarland/anmeldung
Once you have registered, you are requested to attend all four lectures.
Further information: www.kinderuni.saarland
Questions answered by:
Kerstin Nicolai und Patrick Peifer
Kinderuni Saar
Universität des Saarlandes
Naturwissenschaftlich-Technische Fakultät
T: +49 681 302-57556
E-Mail: kinderuni@uni-saarland.de
www.kinderuni.saarland