Post by DESY

Children are naturally curious. They want to understand the world they are growing up in. And as adults, we cannot help but be deeply moved as we watch them explore, driven by their immense thirst for knowledge. The Foundation for Little Scientists (Stiftung Kinder forschen) aims to actively nurture this curiosity and encourage children to ask their own questions – and to seek answers. It does so by empowering educators to better support children's natural joy of discovery from a very young age. The foundation has been pursuing this vision for 20 years, and we are pleased to announce: On its 20th anniversary, the Board of Trustees has elected DESY-Director Beate Heinemann as its new Chair. In this role, she succeeds the organization’s original founder, Jürgen Mlynek. “Early STEM education plays a central role in children’s development. It fosters essential skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity, while also building self-confidence,” said Heinemann. “By supporting this, we are not only equipping our children with important skills for the future, but also investing in the future of all of us.” Since 2019, the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY has been actively involved in the early STEM education initiative. Since then, its regional activities have grown into a comprehensive outreach program called DESY - Neugier ahoi!, which offers specialized training for educators working with children aged three to ten. In her new role at the foundation, Beate Heinemann intends to now support this mission also at the national level. "Fortunately, our foundation is a real 'Love Brand'", said executive board member Dr. Tobias Ernst. "Many educators really appreciate our training and enjoy working with us". That explains, why its growth has been so formidable. Founder Jürgen Mlynek recalls the foundation’s early beginnings, when the initiators launched the project with just 50 kindergartens in the Berlin region. “At the time, it was hard to imagine that this idea would grow into a network of more than 40,000 primary schools and kindergartens that now participate in our programs.” The impact of such initiatives on our society cannot be overstated. “Numerous studies have shown, that investments in education generate the greatest economic and social returns when the investment is made in children at a very young age,” said Beate Heinemann. “And that is exactly what early STEM education is all about.” (please look up: "Heckman-Curve") The foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary in Berlin with many long-standing friends and supporters, including Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kluge, representatives of Siemens Stiftung, Die Dietmar Hopp Stiftung, and Dieter Schwarz Stiftung, Meike Leupold, Prof. Dr. Bärbel G. Renner, Prof. Dr. Reza Asghari, Jasmina Hostert, Dr. Stefan Luther, Dr. Barbara Denise Filtzinger, Bettina Schmidt, @Karen Ong, Heidrun Hillen, and Katharina Scheffler. FOTOS: René Arnold / (c) Stiftung Kinder forschen