New application phase commenced for the 2022/23 plus-MINT talent development programme at Louisenlund

All STEM talents and students interested in STEM can now apply again for admission to the plus-MINT talent development programme at the Louisenlund boarding school for the upcoming 2022/23 school year.

Louisenlund is a STEM talent centre, fostering particularly gifted pupils and their skills in and enthusiasm for mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, engineering and technology at an early stage with the plus-MINT development programme. "MINT" being the German acronym for "STEM" (science, technology, engineering, mathematics. During the four-year programme from Year 10 to 13, young, like-minded top talents come together to share ideas and spur each other on, thus actively participating in life at the Louisenlund boarding school.

Eligibility for the plus-MINT talent development programme at Louisenlund

Students who have previously taken part in and perhaps even won competitions in science, mathematics or technology can apply for admission to the plus-MINT talent promotion programme. This also applies to students who particularly enjoy mathematics, biology, physics or chemistry. Ideally, they should have good to very good grades in one or more of these subjects. However, the curriculum is also aimed at tinkerers who have a particular penchant for LEGO Technic building blocks or the like. In addition, all computer enthusiasts who like to program and are more familiar with hardware and software than their teachers are invited to apply. In addition, students who attend a science, technology or computer science club after school are welcome to try their hand at the plus-MINT programme.

Participation in the plus-MINT talent promotion programme requires B1-level knowledge of German. This language level must have been achieved upon arriving at the Louisenlund boarding school and at the commencement of the plus-MINT programme at our school.

Admission procedure for the plus-MINT talent development programme

Admission to the talent development programme is handled by Louisenlund’s admissions team. Kirsten Conradi and Rosemarie Tyllack are available to answer any questions concerning the admissions process at aufnahme@louisenlund.de or on telephone number +49 4354 999-333.

Further information on the programme is available at: https://www.louisenlund.de/en/plus-mint-en/

STEM talent development at the Louisenlund boarding school

The special training course gives the girls and boys an opportunity to pursue to their own interests and talents in the natural sciences and to develop them outside normal teaching hours. In our STEM module, students are able to work on their own scientific interests and apply scientific research methods during their school years. The plus-MINT talent development programme also includes practical workshops and seminars at research institutions and companies and ends with the Abitur school-leaving certificate. Partner companies offer practical modules (e.g. programming, laboratory work, metal processing, introduction to business management, etc.) and contribute their own input and concerns. The plus-MINT students thus gain early insights into different career and research opportunities.

"Sharing with like-minded people also serves as an incentive"

"Often, unusually gifted plus-MINT students are pretty much on their own with their skills - whether they master programming languages in their sleep, build robots in their spare time or work on tricky math problems in the evenings," says Frank Dallmeyer, head of programme talent development at Louisenlund. They experience the opportunity for exchange with like-minded people as a mutual incentive. Partnerships with scientific research institutions and companies play a key role in Louisenlund's plus-MINT programme. "This form of networking provides insight into real-world practices and scientific work," Dallmeyer says, "and mentally opens some doors for students as to the direction their future careers might take".