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Can you guess what happened to Angela Merkel?

The Local Germany
The Local Germany - news@thelocal.de
Published: 14 May, 2019 CET. Updated: Tue 14 May 2019 17:51 CET
Can you guess what happened to Angela Merkel?
Once a scientist, always a scientist: Merkel during her Wuppertal visit. Photo: DPA

Angela Merkel went back to her roots during a trip to a city in western Germany. But can you guess what she did there?

The Chancellor was visiting an educational facility for young people called 'Junior University' in Wuppertal, North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) on Monday.
 
And she couldn't resist taking part in a whole host of experiments with the young people who take courses there.
 
 
Merkel, who has a PhD in physics and worked as a scientist in a research facility before she went into the world of politics, left her inhibitions at the door as she chatted to the young people.
 
 
The Chancellor doing a pendulum experiment alongside student Antonia Westphal. Photo: DPA
 
During her one-hour visit, the Chancellor tested the so-called 'Bernoulli effect' and with a table tennis ball and a hairdryer.

Merkel and the NRW premier Armin Laschet, who accompanied her, succeeded in doing so quite well — apparently to the surprise of the Chancellor herself. 
 
Merkel (left) and NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet (right) conduct an experiment, while university founder Ernst-Andreas Ziegle looks on. Photo: DPA
 
In addition, pre-school age children from a maths course teamed up with Merkel to form geometric figures from a rope. Some girls at the facility also demonstrated a programmed toy robot car.

In the laboratory the Chancellor was greeted with a steaming dry ice cocktail. "Can you drink that?" she asked first before downing the strange concoction.
 
Merkel drinks from the test tube. Photo: DPA
 
Merkel said she was pleased that many girls were taking part in the experiments. They should "not forget how great natural sciences are," said the trained physicist.
 
Merkel's antics, which proved she was still close to her science roots, were applauded by onlookers and on social media. 
The young students at the 'uni' are between four and 20-years-old. The courses on offer include natural sciences and art.
 
The teaching and research facility, which is financed by donors, aims to encourage young people to study from an early age and think about their future careers. 

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#Education #science #Angela Merkel #chancellor

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