Energie fia Gscheidhaferl was the theme at the e-conversion booth: Visitors tested their knowledge in a Bavarian-inspired energy quiz – for example, on how to increase the output of solar cells. True to the motto “Mea Wumms auf’m Dach.” (Photo: Astrid Eckert / TUM)

Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to Munich’s Ludwigstraße when the Zamanand Festival transforms the city into a car-free experience zone – the perfect setting for hands-on science. On Sunday alone, more than 50,000 visitors stopped by the AHA Super Science Summer Club.

Right in the middle of it all: e-conversion. Together with the Technical University of Munich and many other partners, the Cluster of Excellence was part of the AHA Super Science Summer Club – a large, interactive science area. Here, visitors could explore, discuss, and experiment. Whether playing Solar Pong or tackling quiz questions on current research topics, they discovered in a playful way how energy materials work and what drives the researchers of e-conversion. Even younger visitors got a taste of science: in “Dr Photon’s Scientific Punch and Judy Show,” they learned, humorously, that energy questions also keep Kasperl and his grandmother busy.

The AHA Science Communication Hub brings together a wide range of institutions and creates a platform for accessible, dialogue-driven science communication. This is exactly where e-conversion comes in: thinking about research not only in the lab, but in exchange with society. The Zamanand Festival shows just how well this works—when science leaves the university and meets a curious and diverse audience out on the streets.