From “Sweet, tasty – and dangerous” to “Riding a bike han

© Dirk Lamprecht / Visual Noise

03.11.2022
From “Sweet, tasty – and dangerous” to “Riding a bike hands-free” - KUL lectures for children

Brain City Berlin

The KinderUni Lichtenberg is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a “KUL Science Day” and an exciting series of lectures. The Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin), the Berlin School of Economics and Law (HWR Berlin), the Catholic University of Applied Social Sciences Berlin (KHSB Berlin) and the District of Lichtenberg are involved as cooperation partners.

How dangerous is sugar consumption for the body? How does a person become homeless? And what rights do children have? The topics of this year’s KinderUni Lichtenberg are also exciting for adults. However, the students who are invited to the Anna Seghers Library in Hohenschönhausen on 5 November are pupils from the age of eight – and are therefore significantly younger. Short lectures, workshops and a political question and answer session with District councillor Filiz Keküllüoğlu are on the program of the “KUL Science Day”, which is also celebrating an anniversary. This is because the Lichtenburger KinderUni is turning 20 this year – making it the oldest children’s university in Berlin.

In 2003 the KUL took place for the first time. Since then, 82 professors from the three Lichtenberg universities have inspired thousands of children in a total of 160 lectures. But the concept of the Children’s University had its nationwide origins a year earlier: In June 2002, the first children’s university opened its doors in Tübingen. In 2005, the project even received the Descartes Prize for Science Communication, which was awarded by the European Commission until 2007. Around 80 universities and colleges in Germany now offer lectures and seminars for children. In Berlin, in addition to the KUL, there is the Children’s University of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (website in German only), the Children’s University of the Freie Universität Berlin (website in German only) and the Humboldt Children’s University (website in German only) of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

While the Charité, for example, offers a lecture once a month on various medical topics for children between the ages of eight and twelve, the KinderUni Lichtenberg lectures take place every year in November. The lecture series will kick off in 2022 with the “KUL Science Day” on 5 November. Children can then attend further “KUL lectures” from 12 to 26 November on Fridays at 16:30 and Saturdays at 10:30 on the Treskowallee campus of the HTW Berlin in Karlshorst. Here, the focus is also on entertainingly presented topics that help in everyday life such as: Why can you ride a bike hands-free? Which energy sources do we use? Or: What can be stolen and who is behind it?

The KinderUni Lichtenberg is carried out by the Stiftung Stadtkultur in close cooperation with the HTW Berlin, the HWR Berlin, the KHSB Berlin and the District of Lichtenberg. Admission to all events is free. The participation requirements: Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge! (vdo)

Further information

KUL 2022 KinderUni Lichtenberg (German only)
Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (HTW Berlin), Lecture hall A 238, Treskowallee 8, 10318 Berlin

“KUL Science Day” (pdf, German only)
5 November 2022, 10:00 to 15:00
Anna-Seghers-Library in the Linden-Center, Prerower Platz 2, 13051 Berlin