The goal of the Summer School was to teach basic concepts of Industry 4.0 and to awaken interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). Students from the 7^th to 11^th grade were given insights into programming, plant engineering and automation during the one-week summer school. Microcontrollers, sensors and a programming interface for beginners were used. The primary focus was on practical experimentation: as early as the second day, the participants were able to implement their own programming projects. Later, these were supplemented by more complex sensor technology and networking. By the end of the week, the students had built and wired an intelligent flower pot: with appropriate programming and an integrated moisture sensor, it was automatically watered via a pump. In this way, complex interrelationships of automation, plant technology and sensor technology were illuminated on a small scale, all of which are highly relevant to the companies of the Tridelta Campus Hermsdorf. During the guided tours at Fraunhofer IKTS and Micro-Hybrid, where industrial and research facilities were visited, the participants were able to learn more about this.

The content of the Sensor Space Summer School was conceived and implemented by the Fraunhofer IKTS working group “Smart Machine and Plant Design”. The Sensor Space is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and is a joint project of Tridelta Campus Hermsdorf, STIFT, Nucleus Jena, Schülerforschungszentrum Gera, Saale-Holzland-Kreis and Fraunhofer IKTS. School clubs, workshops and summer schools for children and young people will be offered in and around the Hermsdorf location in eastern Thuringia, with a special focus on conveying knowledge about batteries and sensor technology.