Brought to you by Ann, Grade 8, a member of
The Junior Engineer Academy (JIA) is one of the most innovative programmes at GESS, offering students the opportunity to explore engineering and sustainability through real-world projects and expert guidance. Two members of the JIA team, Lily and Student Media Maker Ann, share their experience, insights and passion in the group.
We often see the Junior Engineer Academy referred to as JIA. What is the official/correct term for the group?
Lily: JIA is actually Junior ingenieur Akademie in German, which translates to Junior Engineering Academy in English.
Tell us more about the JIA and what are some of the activities that have been conducted so far?
Lily: JIA is an extra-curricular activity that teaches us creative problem solving and the basics of engineering. We are currently working on building a hydroponic plant system which will help to automatically water plants and measure factors like humidity, air quality, lighting and temperature.
Ann: JIA is a great way to apply engineering concepts to real problems. Aside from the hydroponic system, we’ve worked with 3D printing and coding microcontrollers to automate tasks like SENSEBOX, giving us hands-on experience with technology and problem-solving.
the fascinating world of hydroponics and the unique use of hair in urban farming
How long has JIA existed at GESS? How long have you been a part of it?
Lily: JIA has been active for the past 8 years. I have been in JIA since the beginning of school year 2023/2024.
Ann: Like Lily, I joined JIA at the start of the 2023/2024 school year, and it’s been a great learning experience so far.
What made you join JIA, and what is your best experience about it so far? What do you foresee doing more in the near future?
Lily: The presentation about JIA that we attended in the auditorium a few years ago sparked my interest, so I tried to get in and eventually succeeded. The best experiences I have had in JIA was working together and collaboratively with my friends to create working machines that we can use in our daily lives. I also like the fact that we get the chance to get insights on how big companies use the same engineering we do. However, these larger projects allow us to see different perspectives on how the same machines we build in JIA can be amplified in real life situations. Sadly, this is the last year I can be a part of JIA, but I will definitely still participate in activities related to engineering.
Ann: I’ve always been interested in engineering, and JIA seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore it further. One of my favourite projects was programming sensors to track environmental data like the humidity, temperature and light of different locations — it was rewarding to see how small adjustments could make a system more efficient. Moving forward, I’d like to focus more on improving our hydroponic system and exploring other sustainable technologies.
Who are the teachers involved, and is this for both European and German Sections? Who should your schoolmates contact if they are keen to be part of JIA?
Ann: Mr Iulius Carebia and Mr Daniel Gottwald and yes, JIA welcomes students from both sections.
