Members
The following members are involved in the non-profit organisation HANDS on TECHNOLOGY
Since our founding in 2002 we work successfully in the STEM educational area and organise research and robotics competitions for children and young people. It is our mission to not only teach children and young people technical skills - we also enable them to use technology sensibly, think independently, communicate ideas and interact with good spirits. Our Board consists of five members of the associationa and was elected in May 2020.
You want to be a member of the association as well? We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Please contact us at info@hands-on-technology.org for information on it.
The English version of this site is currently in the works. Please refer to the German site for more information about the Board and members for now, thank you.
Board
Irmgard Rothkirch / Heinz Nixdorf MuseumsForum
Chairwoman of the Board
"Working for and with young people inspires my everyday work. At FIRST LEGO League, I'm always impressed by the competition participants' wealth of ideas in dealing with modern technologies. I wouldn't want to miss the motivated and cheerful competition atmosphere. As an employee of a museum that wants to bring the history of information and communication technology closer to young people in particular, I look forward to being able to support the work of HANDS on."
Armin Gardeia / Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg
Vice Chairman of the Board
"I experienced the FIRST LEGO League for the first time as a guest, observer and immediately as a member of the jury in 2010 at the Nixdorf Museum in Paderborn and was completely hooked from the very first minute. Infected with the FIRST LEGO League virus, I brought home the idea of holding a regional competition at the university in Regensburg. Since then, Regensburg has been the East Bavarian venue for regional competitions.
At the OTH Regensburg, I head the 'Young University' with the goals of introducing children and young people to STEM (mathematics, computer science, natural science and technology) and offering a broad study and career orientation with various formats. As an educationalist, I believe that effective and sustainable learning can only succeed with fun, interest and motivation, all things that are present in FIRST LEGO League. I look forward to seeing everyone who joins us."
Marco Groß / mellowmessage GmbH
Member of the Board
"The principle of the digital world as we know it is still very young and constantly being improved. And as new and changeable as this world still is, it already governs large parts of our lives and shows us what potential it has. As a company and association member, the next generation is very close to our hearts. We support HANDS on TECHNOLOGY so that kids can get to grips with the digital world of tomorrow today."
Jakub Stribrny
Member of the Board
"I was 10 years old at my first FIRST LEGO League regional competition and then grew up with FIRST LEGO League. Long out of the age of participants, FIRST LEGO League is still part of my life and I can't imagine life without it. I've learned a lot for my life and had great experiences through the competition, and I wish as many as possible could experience the same."
Daniel Marburger
Member of the Board
Daniel Marburger is not only a regional organizer in Aachen, but also a team coach in the FIRST LEGO League. He has already been organizing regional competitions since 2017, and qualifying competitions and the 2018 finals have also already taken place in Aachen.
Members
Philipp Krauss
»My first contact with HANDS on TECHNOLOGY and FIRST LEGO League was work-related, but the virus infected me. Time and again, the young participants at the competition impress me with their own enthusiasm, for the competition, for research (simply questioning things, developing new ideas) and - of course - for technology. I'm delighted to be able to accompany HANDS on in this«
Stefan Ginthum
»Germany lacks skilled workers in the technical and scientific fields, as well as engineers. University graduates in the so-called MINT subjects do not meet the needs of our economy. Germany's economy needs the next generation of STEM workers. There has been a lot of talk about this, but unfortunately the implementation of the measures is often lacking or they start too late.
With the FIRST LEGO League, HANDS on TECHNOLOGY offers the perfect MINT promotion program and inspires children and young people in a playful way. Children learn about technical processes, use digital technologies and learn to program machines, apply mathematical and scientific laws and acquire skills in the areas of communication, cooperation and independent problem-solving. These are skills that are very important in later professional life. This is how I imagine a contemporary educational program. And that's why I'm happy to be a member of HANDS on TECHNOLOGY.«
Katrin Habelmann
»Seeing that there is an association in my home region that brings technology and science closer to children and young people with passion immediately excited me. As a woman who has been working in the technical field for over 13 years now, I know how important it is to lose your awe of technology from an early age and how much fun you can have doing it. My great motivation is to support people, especially children and young people, to develop themselves and to get to know the widest possible range of professional perspectives. Therefore, I am happy to accompany the association HANDS on TECHNOLOGY in its implementation.«
Ute Ihme
»When I started working at the Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, I dedicated myself to promoting young people in the field of technology and science. The LEGO Mindstorms sets are perfect for this. It quickly became clear that challenges were needed to keep young people interested in the subject in the long term.
In 2007, I took part in a competition for the first time with a team. Since 2008, a regional competition has been held at our university in Mannheim. Since then, FIRST LEGO League has captivated me and my family, so we not only organize our competition, but also regularly participate in other competitions as judges and jury members. But RoboCup Junior is also a valuable competition that I have also been actively involved in for over 10 years. I have been hosting a qualifying tournament at the university for 5 years. I am happy to be able to contribute my experience to the association.«
Sabine Allmendinger / Heldele Stiftung
»I have been actively involved in the FIRST LEGO League competition for the Göppingen region since 2008. The foundation offers free training for coaches every year and supports the teams in both Explore and Challenge by sponsoring the registration fee and the playing field.
Awakening an interest in technology among children and young people is a very important component of the foundation's work. That's why the FIRST LEGO League fits in perfectly with our goals and will hopefully inspire many more kids to join in.«
www.heldele-stiftung.de
Reiko Käske
»Creativity, technical understanding and the courage to come up with your own solutions - these qualities are becoming increasingly important. HANDS on TECHNOLOGY offers children and young people an ideal incentive to strengthen these talents individually with ideas that are fun and provide the right "aha" effect. The final events at which I have already been a guest have left a lasting impression on me. The participants' enjoyment of the challenge, the work in the teams, the joint solving of tricky tasks, the seemingly effortless handling of digital technology. This is intelligent and contemporary education, and that's why I'm very happy to support the association's work.«
www.finewords.de
Yasemin Daglioglu-Schnell/ LEGO A/S
»We need to show kids that creating and building a video game or robot can be more fun than playing with it. The FIRST LEGO League robotics competition is great for that.«
www.lego.com
Hendrik Madeya
»The FIRST LEGO League has inspired me since my first participation as a team member. Since 2006, I've seen anew every year how many children and young people master the FIRST LEGO League challenges. But it's about much more than just building a LEGO robot. The kids get the chance to learn the skills they will need in their future careers in an almost playful environment. Since I myself have benefited from the experiences in the FIRST LEGO League, it is my motivation to be able to offer children and young people the same opportunity. That is why I am involved in the Nano Giants Academy & HANDS on TECHNOLOGY as an organizer, juror and referee.«
Thomas Madeya
»FIRST LEGO League has stayed with me since my first season as a coach in 2006. Because it's about much more than building and programming a robot. The kids solve tasks as a team that they couldn't do alone. And to do this, they have to learn to set goals for themselves, take responsibility and not give up even when they have setbacks.
FIRST LEGO League only works if there are competitions. That's why I've been involved with HANDS on TECHNOLOGY since 2013. The association and the community of volunteers ensure that over 1,000 teams can take part in competitions every year and thus playfully build up the skills they need for their digital future.«
www.nano-giants.net
Astrid Müller
As a founding member and long-time managing director, she now advises HANDS on TECHNOLOGY and supports the association's activities.
Prof. Dr. Udo Ossendoth
»Bringing young people and technology together is something I simply enjoy. FIRST LEGO League is a great opportunity to do that. And that's why I'm taking part!«
Dr. Siegfried Pongratz
»The enthusiasm of the children and young people has infected me and every year I am happy to be a judge in the finals. In addition, I have a personal affinity for LEGO; because even as a child, I myself experienced creative design possibilities with these bricks and continued to cultivate these wonderful possibilities of play with my son. The idea of FIRST LEGO League, to introduce young people to modern technologies and to arouse their interest in them, is also my personal concern, where I am happy to make a personal contribution.«
Juliane Riedel
»FIRST LEGO League is fun for 'little and big'. While the children and young people are allowed to take part in the project, the 'big ones' have at least as much fun promoting the next generation as the 'little ones' have taking part. A lot of passion and the claim to support children in a playful way unites all project participants and creates a community that speaks from the heart. ... I'm happy to play along!«
Robot-CH
The Swiss association Robot-CH was founded in 2002 with the aim to bring robotics closer to the general public and to promote it in all areas of society: Education, Science, Economy. In this context, Robot-CH sees FIRST LEGO League as an excellent initiative tailored to the needs of children and young people. Robot-CH supports the initiative and has participated in its development on a national and interational level since 2006.
www.robot-ch.org
Klaus Schröcker
»For me, FIRST LEGO League is an ingenious educational concept for systematically introducing young people to team-oriented research and development. Where else do teachers get professionally developed and, above all, new, unfamiliar research and robotics tasks for a challenging team project every year and don't even have to evaluate their students' performance themselves at the end? Many teachers develop into field-tested coaches through their FIRST LEGO League participation, with positive effects on their "normal" teaching work as well. The students train valuable skills for the challenges of the digital 21st century.«
www.htl-bregenz.ac.at
Dr. Michael Sieb
»I also caught the FIRST LEGO League virus at the OEC in Mannheim 2012. It is impressive what creative and technical potential is in the young people and only needs a push to come out. The fact that there is a new scientific background topic to explore every year at the FLL besides Robotgame and Robotdesign and also the social team structure is evaluated makes the competition so attractive for young women and men. TiRoLab inspires people aged 5 to 105 to actively engage with technology and shows them how they can use it to turn their own creative ideas into reality. HANDS on TECHNOLOGY is a great and important partner in this.«
www.TiRoLab.at