ASMS German language students win STEM-related contest sponsored by German Consulate.

German language students at the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science recently won a STEM-related contest sponsored by the German Consulate in Atlanta. The consulate invited southeastern regional high schools with strong German language programs to research German and American female scientists and present their findings by designing a "Buddy Bear," also referred to as a "Berlin Bear." Buddy Bears are decorated by artists to celebrate collaborations between Germany and other nations and organizations.

 

ASMS students Sara Jeffrey, Olivia Parker, Olivia Taylor, Riley Bush, and Peyton Brasfield worked on the winning bear. They had this to say about their entry: "Our Berlin Bear honors the life, journey, and accomplishments of Maria Göppert Mayer, a German nuclear physicist who overcame being overlooked as a woman in science to earn a doctorate from Göttingen University, work on the Manhattan Project, and become the second woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics, namely for her work in developing the nuclear shell model and for her discovery of 'magic numbers,' or valence electron numbers that stabilize elements. She devoted her life to furthering physics and spreading her knowledge through teaching, and her hard work is a testament to all who love science."

 

By winning the competition, ASMS students have earned a $500 prize from the consulate to support their school’s German language program. Their instructor, Mrs. Dorothee Ehrhardt, deserves credit for maintaining an excellent German program at ASMS, which includes coursework from beginner to advanced levels and an exchange experience with the Gymnasium Paulinum in Münster.

 

To see the ASMS Buddy Bear and those from other schools, visit the German Consulate in Atlanta’s Facebook page linked below.

German Consulate Facebook

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