“Lively rivers, healthy environment: Together for the Rhine, Moselle, and Lahn rivers”: This was the motto of the first STEM hackathon that took place at the University of Koblenz last year. Upper school students from Koblenz and Kirchberg were able to conduct research in the university's chemistry, physics, and technology laboratories. The aim of the two-day event was to work together in interdisciplinary teams to explore real environmental problems, develop solutions, carry out experiments, and build prototypes. The goal was not only to promote the students' understanding of chemistry and physics, but also to develop soft skills such as teamwork, problem-solving skills, and innovation, and to spark enthusiasm for studying the natural sciences. On the initiative of Dr. Eva Olmo Gil, employee of Zschimmer & Schwarz at the Lahnstein site, the STEM hackathon was supported with 9,000 euros as part of the chemical company's donation campaign. 

“The starting point for the problem that the students were asked to explore during the two-day hackathon was the massive fish die-off in the Oder river in 2022. To ensure that a similar environmental disaster in the Koblenz region can be detected early and, if necessary, action can be taken in good time, the task was to plan, test, and ultimately present a monitoring concept for collecting and analyzing suitable environmental data from the region," explains Prof. Dr. Stefan Müller, Head of the Chemistry Didactics working group at the University of Koblenz. “Thanks to the generous donation from Zschimmer & Schwarz, we were able to purchase various sensors, measuring devices, and microcontrollers. This gave the young people the opportunity to comprehensively analyze and evaluate samples from water, soil, and air. In the future, we would like to organize further STEM hackathons at the University of Koblenz, where pupils can “hack” the environment.”

The donation campaign of Zschimmer & Schwarz was initiated by the shareholder families and is now an integral part of the company's social commitment. It takes place every two years and entered its third round in 2024. All employees have the opportunity to suggest local initiatives to be supported by the company with a donation.

The STEM hackathon at the University of Koblenz is one of 39 projects across Europe, North and South America as well as Asia supported by Zschimmer & Schwarz as part of the donation campaign with a total sum of around 350,000 euros. “For more than 130 years, our family company Zschimmer & Schwarz has consistently laid the focus of our activities on our fellow human beings. With this philosophy, we aim to give something valuable back to society,” explains Dr. Monika Börner, family shareholder of the Zschimmer & Schwarz Group. “We are happy to support initiatives of our employees and to involve ourselves in projects that deliver direct and sustainable effects at our business locations,” adds Thomas Schwarz, also family shareholder of Zschimmer & Schwarz.