Recap: Project Week 2025 – Experiencing Neuroethology and BABOTS

From June 30 to July 4, 2025, upper secondary students from CJD Königswinter had the opportunity to experience real hands-on science during their project week at our institute. This year’s course focused entirely on neuroethology and the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans—a tiny nematode that plays a key role in understanding how nervous systems generate behavior.

Under the guidance of Julia Schlee (Public Outreach Officer), the students worked not only in our dedicated Public Lab but also gained access to several active research laboratories at the institute. There, they conducted their own observations and tracked worm behavior using devices developed within the BABOTS project to study collective behavior in an automated way.

The scientific program was enriched by insightful discussions with MPINB researchers: Jun Liu, Luis Alvarez, and Euphrasie Ramahefarivo shared their current research on neural circuits, sensory processing, and swarm dynamics—alongside personal reflections on their career paths in neuroscience.

Key highlights of the week included student-led experiments on:

• Mechanosensation (touch sensitivity in mutants)
• Chemotaxis (orientation based on odor cues)
• Swarming behavior and collective movement in worms

On Friday, the group also visited MPINB’s High Performance Computing Unit. Ronnie Schwede, head of the HPC group, introduced the institute’s computing cluster and explained how high-performance infrastructure supports modern neuroscience—followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the server rooms.

This project week once again demonstrated how curious, engaged, and thoughtful young minds can be when given direct access to science and research environments.

We thank everyone involved and already look forward to the next project week in July 2026!