Just chill! But how?
Science Communication in Schools
Stress—what exactly is it? What are the sources of stress in our daily lives—and does stress always have to be a bad thing? Why is sleep so important for our health? What actually happens in a sleep lab? And why do we sometimes recharge our batteries better by talking with friends than by drinking an energy drink?
The joint event organized by AHA – The Science Communication Hub BAdW, titled “Chill Out! But How?”, brought two female researchers to Freiham High School on April 13, 2026.
Four 7th-grade classes listened intently to the presentations by Dr. Sandra Nischwitz, a specialist in neurology and sleep medicine at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, and Dr. Maria F. Urquijo, a psychologist at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at LMU Medical Center.
Participants were actively encouraged to get involved and engage with research in a playful way —for example, through the interactive stress check, where a real-time snapshot of the mood was generated via smartphone using Mentimeter, and participants could share their own experiences during the event.
The Science Year 2026 – Medicine of the Future is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space. “Chill out! But how?” was a joint event organized by BAdW and AHA – The Science Communication Hub, focusing on behavioral prevention. Another public event, organized jointly with acatech, will then focus on environmental prevention.