Potential

mint & pepper awakens children's interest early on and boosts teenagers’ enthusiasm for apprenticeships, research, and professional careers in STEM fields, referred to as MINT fields in German. Outstanding talent should be recognized early on and nourished, encouraging outstanding young people to develop their talents and pursue careers in these fields.

Project Description

mint & pepper helps children and teenagers acquire a better understanding of our technology-driven society and enables them to play an active role in shaping that society.

The STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – offer multiple career options. The mission of mint & pepper is to inspire members of the next generation to choose careers in STEM professions, regardless of their background or gender. With the age-specific, school-based, company, and leisure opportunities it provides, the mint & pepper initiative sparks excitement in programming and engineering. By asking young people to finish the sentence "When I grow up, I want to be..." it encourages them to consider the career opportunities available in STEM fields.

In keeping with Switzerland’s “Lehrplan 21” curriculum project and the latest research on teaching and learning research, mint & pepper develops modules and workshops for the upper primary school level and secondary school levels I and II. The modules are based on current research and relevant to everyday life, and they have practical applications and provide valuable insight into modern technologies.

mint & pepper was launched as an initiative of the Autonomous Systems Lab and the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich.

Contact

Hanna Behles
Project Leader
hanna.behles@wysszurich.ch

Hanna behles

Faculty Mentor

Stefan Bertschi

Portrait bertschi 280

Partners and Funding

  • ETH Zurich 
  • University of Zurich 
  • Gebert Rüf Stiftung
  • Swisscom
  • ABB
  • Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich
  • SATW
  • Digital Switzerland Next Generation
  • IngCH
  • Startbahn29
  • Achtung Technik Los!
  • gotec!
  • Swiss Space Museum
  • Treffpunkt Science City 
  • EPFL
  • SUPSI
  • Produktentwicklungsgruppe Zürich (pdz)
  • PH Bern
  • Oculus
  • Nanoleaf
  • Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz

Achievements

05/2022
First Wyss Zurich Workshop

Together with Wyss Zurich mint & pepper launches the first Wyss Zurich Workshop for school class of the secondary level I and II. Read more.

10/2018
Development of The Magic Cube

Development of the Magic Cube together with the ETH Zurich Dept. of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.

08/2018
Development of CYBATHLON@school

A program that raises awareness about the challenges faced by people with disabilities and that promotes inclusion.

04/2018
Wyss Zurich admission

mint & pepper is accepted as an Outreach project at Wyss Zurich.

Core Team

Hanna behles

Hanna Behles

Project Leader

Leonie beeli portrait

Leonie Beeli

Project Manager Didactics

Tiziana borghesi portrait

Tiziana Borghesi

Project Coordinator

Yorrick Detreköy portait

Yorrick Detreköy

Project Manager Engineering

Philipp egger portrait

Philipp Egger

Project Manager Engineering

Carolin Fleck portrait

Carolin Fleck

Project and Communications Manager

Yanis Kaelin portrait

Yanis Kälin

Project Support

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