The MT/BT department at EAH Jena inspires with experiments on optics and artificial intelligence.

At this year’s StadtLab Jena, the Department of Medical Technology and Biotechnology at Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena vividly demonstrated how exciting modern science can be. Numerous visitors took the opportunity to experience current research up close and discover classic topics from optics, biochemistry, and cell technology in a playful way.

Former students Richard Klein and Konstantin Gramatte, now research assistants at the Biophotonic Instrumentation Group, presented two interactive experiments on medical technology:

• “AI from matchboxes” – Using a miniature chessboard, game pieces, and matchboxes, the principle of machine learning was illustrated in an astonishingly simple way. Step by step, participants were able to understand how a system learns from mistakes and improves through feedback.
• “The colorful nature of light” – Colored RGB lamps and screens were used to show how primary colors combine to form white, how mixed colors are created, and which spectral colors are hidden in supposedly white light.

Biotechnology also offered a varied program: Prof. Antje Burse, Kristina Worch, and Merlin Krause presented cell technology and spectroscopy, while Prof. Sibyll Pollok, Prof. Thomas Munder, and Florian Knolle provided insights into biochemistry.

The experiments invited participants to join in, marvel, and reflect—and made it clear how closely research and everyday experience are linked. Once again, StadtLab proved to be a successful platform for bringing science to the heart of the city.