High energy requirements and high CO₂ emissions during production are a problem for conventional construction and materials such as steel, concrete or glass. Young people interested in a sustainable future therefore looked at the renewable and CO₂-binding raw material wood as a possible alternative at the one-week science camp during the fall vacations.

In Professor Holger Militz's group in the Department of Wood Biology and Wood Products at the Göttingen University, the students performed chemical and thermal wood modifications and asked numerous questions about the exact research processes there. In Professor Wolfgang Viöl's group at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK), the focus was on plasma treatment, which can make wood more hydrophobic or hydrophilic.

The students enjoyed the closeness to science and were pleased with their new knowledge and skills, which they can apply to assess old and new construction and materials in terms of their sustainability. The science camp, that was sponsored by the Chemical Industry Fund (FCI), gave them an insight into Green Chemistry.