INSPIRATA
Team WissensSpuren und INSPIRATA
Wonder – Learn – Grow | INSPIRATA e.V. is a non-profit association dedicated to supporting education in mathematics and natural sciences. This is achieved not through complicated formulas and symbols, but in a very hands-on and accessible way – interactive and tangible!
History
The 2008 Year of Science: “Mathematics. Everything That Counts,” a science festival on applications of mathematics, was organized in Leipzig. Following the event, many exhibits were transferred to the association “INSPIRATA – Center for Mathematical and Scientific Education e.V.,” which was founded to sustain the highly successful educational campaign of the festival. On the celebration of its 15th birthday the idea emerged to set up the WissensSpuren in Leipzig.
Education and Research
The INSPIRATA e.V. is a place where one can engage in exciting experiments and questions. At its core is a constantly evolving collection of exhibits, through which visitors can experience the natural sciences by conducting their own experiments. True to the motto “Wonder – Knowledge – Growth,” there is the opportunity to try out experiments and learn about their underlying principles. Visitors are given the chance to be inspired by mathematics, energy, force and motion, as well as optical illusions. In an expanded area, experiments related to environmental sciences, biotechnology, and medicine will be added. The exhibits are developed in close collaboration with the research institutes based in Leipzig.
Outreach
On weekday mornings, the association offers workshops for students of all school types and age groups, while afternoons are dedicated to courses in technology and programming. The permanent exhibition is open every Saturday for visitors of all ages, providing an opportunity to reignite a passion for mathematics and the natural sciences. Each year more than 20,000 students participate at workshops offered at INSPIRATA, and many additional visitors explore the exhibition during its public opening hours in the weekends.