Jugend forscht times three

Date

13. April 2026

Location

Greiz

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Submitting a project to Jugend forscht, Germany’s largest STEM competition for young talent, is a real achievement. Only the best achieve an award in the state competition at national level. Submitting three projects in completely different subject areas and winning first place twice – only Ben Waldmann can do that.

»Ich habe damit absolut nicht gerechnet. Schon als ich das erste Mal mitgemacht habe, war es mein großer Traum, es zum Bundeswettbewerb zu schaffen. Dass ich nicht nur in Physik, sondern auch in Technik den ersten Platz hatte, habe ich erstmal gar nicht realisiert.«

Ben Waldmann

The 17-year-old student’s projects could not be more different.

In the field of physics, he developed a simulation of the early universe using a new model of quantum mechanics, gravitation and gas dynamics.

The galaxies also run through Ben’s mathematics/computer science project, an AI program that reconstructs images of galaxies in a meaningful way and thus provides innovative insights into their development.

Mathematics and physics are both projects close to Ben’s heart, combining his passion for these subjects and astronomy.

THE PROJECT: WIND POWER FOR VOGTLAND

Ben’s wind turbine invention ultimately became the most successful project in the technology section, winning several prizes at the Thuringia 2026 state competition in Jena. He developed the prototype following a very specific request for help. In his home village of Elsterberg in the Vogtland region, the basin location makes energy generation with photovoltaics difficult or even impossible. In order to supply his neighbors’ sheds and carports with electricity, the young scientist uses another advantage of the valley basin. Ben developed a wind turbine with a variably adaptable rotor that can be optimized to the individual location data for the winds flowing through the part. With a maximum noise level of 42 decibels, the turbine can also be used in the densely built-up Elsterberg without any problems, opening up new opportunities for sustainable energy generation in the village.

Successful transfer to start-ups

Many Jugend forscht talents show their passion even as a child. Not so with Ben.

I wasn’t actually particularly good at math.

There wouldn’t have been any leisure activities for math or chemistry in Ben’s home country anyway.

Then came corona. The never-ending afternoons. Ben is looking for a new hobby to fill the empty hours. And meets Mathias Thiel, Chairman of the Greiz Astronomical Society, who has since been named Thuringian of the Month for his many years of commitment to children and young people. For over eleven years, the financial advisor from Greiz has been inspiring young people for astronomy on a voluntary basis, now at the Greiz Student Research Center, and also giving Ben access to new universes.

Since 2020, the mentor has been encouraging the young talent to take on new projects and participate in Jugend forscht.

THE FUTURE: NEXT STEP – FOUNDING A STARTUP?

The current success has a great chance of making it beyond the competition. In addition to first place, the wind turbine was also awarded participation in the Youth Entrepreneurship summer school organized by the Thuringia Foundation for Technology, Innovation and Research. Next summer, selected Jugend forscht participants from all over Germany will come together to develop their projects into real business models together with experienced start-up coaches. For Ben, this is a completely new approach to the topic of business start-ups. With the summer school, he is facing up to the future question of whether his research project could actually survive on the business market – a task that Ben is looking forward to with an open mind, as always:

»„Es macht immer viel Spaß, besonders wenn man weiterkommt. Aber auch wenn man nicht weiterkommt, ist es eine Erfahrung wert. Im besten Fall entsteht aus Jugend forscht eine Karriere. Die Zukunft ist jetzt und jetzt ist der perfekte Moment, um anzufangen.“«

Ben Waldmann