(Frankfurt a. M./Geisenheim, 26.09.2024) They are tiny, but they keep our modern world running: microchips. Whether smartphones, solar panels or e-bikes – our everyday lives, medicine, mobility and even areas such as renewable energies or artificial intelligence (AI) would be unthinkable without these small electronic components. However, what has become tiny and, above all, taken for granted in its use is quickly forgotten. The competition INVENT a CHIP (IaC) (German version) of the VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), wants to change this. The aim is to familiarize students with future technology and to inspire them about the world of technology. The popularity of this project is reflected in the large number of participants in the IaC quiz: a total of 1,607 students from 169 schools submitted their solutions this year to win the IaC school prize.
Small but powerful: students impress with their expertise in microchips
In the quiz, students were asked to answer tricky and technically demanding questions about microchips and AI online. For example, about microchips in everyday devices, the production of silicon wafers in semiconductor factories, troubleshooting defective chips, or the energy consumption of AI.
The Hansenberg Castle boarding school in Geisenheim came out on top among the numerous participants. The 76 students answered almost all questions correctly. This secures them the IaC school prize for the first time, along with prize money of 1,000 euros. The students at the boarding school have been enthusiastic about IaC in recent years and have often taken one of the top places.
INVENT a CHIP broadens students' horizons
Teacher Maik Schiemenz knows why the competition is so popular in schools: “INVENT a CHIP complements the teaching content particularly with tasks on logic circuits and signal paths, establishes connections to physics and offers an overall view beyond the end of one's nose. The competition enables students to rediscover interests and talents and to put their own research into practice.
The teacher's commitment is based on a very personal motivation: “It may sound trivial, but I am happy when the students know more at the end of the school year than at the beginning. Time and again, I am amazed at the enormous learning progress made by those who have never dealt with the topic currently being covered,” says Schiemenz.
STEM projects help with career choices
To spark the interest of young, innovative minds, promoting STEM in schools is of particular importance. The Chairman of the Board of VDE Rhein-Main, Thomas Beiderwieden, emphasizes: “It is not only a pleasure for me to personally present the first-place prize at the school, it is also important to me to recognize the school's commitment to STEM This is a common goal. We at the VDE want young people to be interested in technology and especially in electrical engineering. In addition to INVENT a CHIP, we also have other regional initiatives, such as our MINT-Stern (MINT Star) for outstanding MINT projects in Hesse.
In addition to knowledge and fun, the students also benefit from it in another way: “Practice-oriented insights and applications, as is the case here in electrical engineering, offer a valuable contribution to the career and study orientation of young people,” says teacher Schiemenz.
Numerous sponsors support INVENT a CHIP in order to spark young people's interest in microchips and their applications, including: Bosch, Cologne Chip, Globalfoundries, Infineon, Mentor Graphics, Siemens, DKE.
