From September 8 to 12, 2025, the outreach team of the Collaborative Research Center CRC-TRR 358 participated in the NRW Student Academy SMIMS for Mathematics and Computer Science with two projects. As part of the academy, 100 upper secondary school students selected for their outstanding achievements in mathematics and computer science spent an intensive week working together. In 15 project groups, they explored advanced topics in mathematics and computer science under the guidance of experienced researchers and teachers — far beyond the scope of regular school curricula.
From the CRC outreach team, Dr. Max Hoffmann, Marceau Speczyk, and Marcel Wieneke, together with Tanja Hommen (Gesamtschule Gronau), prepared and led workshops on the topics "Der Symmetrie auf der Spur" and "Spielen mit Struktur – Gesellschaftsspiele und Mathematik?!". As part of these projects, the students engaged deeply with integer structures in various contexts and presented their project results at a formal closing event held at the premises of Atruvia AG in Münster. The audience included fellow academy participants as well as external guests from schools, industry, and politics.
The academy was organized by the Bezirksregierung Münster and funded by the Ministerium für Schule und Bildung, the Gerlind & Ernst Denert Foundation, Atruvia, and Volkswohlbund Versicherungen. The Institute of Mathematics at Paderborn University has regularly participated in SMIMS with at least one project for over 10 years — and for the past three years, in the context of CRC-TRR 358.
Further information about the NRW Student Academy for Mathematics and Computer Science can be found at: www.smims.nrw.de
