Lots of visitors at the BAM booth at the open house at BMWi
Source: BAM
The German Chancellery, the federal ministries, and the Federal Press Office invited the public to their yearly “Personal State Visit” on 25 and 26 August. At the open house, numerous visitors came to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) to learn also about the work of BAM.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of the open house, which allows citizens to get a behind-the-scenes look at government work in Berlin. Departmental research organizations which provide scientific advice are also part of the government. The expertise of BAM is always in demand when issues involve safety in technology and chemistry.
This year, we presented information on new research in zero gravity. The goal is to enable astronauts to use 3D printing for making tools or replacement parts themselves on future space missions. We’ve got the first result: a wrench was produced in zero gravity during a parabolic flight. Those who were interested could watch a video of our research activities in zero gravity. Our scientists were on hand to explain the challenges we encountered during the experiments.
There were also plenty of opportunities talk with visitors about their washing machines and refrigerators: We provided a closer look at the testing processes used for the EU energy label found on appliances. The label aims to help consumers make reliable purchasing decisions. The energy label is one of the most successful European measures for information about the energy efficiency of products. The measurement methods are specified in European standards that are used by all testing labs in Europe. A research project is currently examining the measurement procedures to find out whether they reflect advances in technology and are capable of properly reflecting real user behaviour.