Stirring, measuring and analyzing: high school students discover Summa Laboratory

For the sixth year in a row, the Summa Laboratory laboratories on the TU/e ​​campus in Eindhoven were packed this morning with 75 curious students. Twenty-five teams of three students from secondary schools in Helmond, Tilburg, Breda, 's-Hertogenbosch, Uden, and Eindhoven, among others, took on the challenge during the Beta Tournament.

This year's theme: Big Pharma.

After a brief introduction, the students got right to work. White coats on, safety goggles on. And working on real lab assignments.

Teacher Marijn Melgers of Summa Laboratory and co-organizer of the competition, along with colleagues and C3, Center for Youth Communication Chemistry: "We want to give everyone a laboratory experience. Some secondary schools no longer offer chemistry or physics. This might be the first time students actually see the inside of a laboratory."

Meanwhile, in the lab, students are busy stirring and measuring. They're researching which anticoagulant works best, examining a blood count under a microscope, and determining the drug content of a contraceptive pill. These are tasks you'll also encounter in the real world of pharmaceuticals and chemistry.

"Technology is everywhere," says Melgers. "Almost 80% of businesses on industrial estates employ laboratory staff. They perform quality control and analyze substances; without them, the business simply wouldn't run. Two years ago, there were already thousands of vacancies in the chemical industry requiring vocational training. The need for well-trained laboratory staff is enormous."

Rick, Jens, and Liam from Campus 013 in Tilburg are working hard to mix the substances properly at the right temperature. These third-year pre-vocational secondary education students plan to pursue automotive engineering later. "It's great to be involved in this," says Rick. "In automotive engineering, you also work with fluids. It's helpful to know how that works and what exactly happens." Jens is also enthusiastic: "You really have to think for yourself here and figure out how things work. That's what makes it fun."

Melgers walks through the lab with a smile. “Normally, we train professionals for laboratory work. But today it was about something different: a first experience. Planting a seed. Showing how interesting and relevant this work is. Maybe not everyone will choose a laboratory education. And that's not necessary. But if students go home today thinking, 'Hey, this is actually quite interesting,' then we've achieved our goal.”