Three of our Middle Years students took top prizes at the Mainfranken Regional STEM Fair with a project on micro-plastics in the Main river.
Congratulations to Anna Berg, Tomás Vilar, and Yuki Imai (all Grade 9) for winning 1st place at this year's Mainfranken Regional STEM Fair!
Their project, titled "Micro-plastics in the Main: A Year-Long Sediment Study," combined chemistry, biology, and statistics — a perfect example of MYP interdisciplinary learning.
The students collected sediment samples monthly along five points of the Main river around Schweinfurt, used acid digestion to extract micro-plastic particles, and measured concentrations using FTIR spectroscopy at the local Hochschule lab.
Their findings showed measurable seasonal variation linked to rainfall events — a small but real contribution to local environmental research.
Next stop: the Bavarian state STEM finals in München this June.
