Last weekend, the Munich Data Science Institute in Garching transformed into a vibrant hub of science and exploration. Visitors of all ages got to experience how AI can be applied across various research fields during the Open Day with the Mouse 2025. True to the motto ‘Discover, Marvel, Participate’, everyone was invited to experiment, explore, and even become an AI trainer themselves.

Our interactive open day welcomed many curious and enthusiastic children and teens along with their parents. Smiles were everywhere as passionate researchers showcased and explained their favorite projects. After brief introductions at ten different stations, young scientists rolled up their sleeves and got hands-on - curious parents included. In a relaxed atmosphere, there was plenty of wonder, experimentation, and learning.

AI inside! – Excitement and variety for all ages

The event offered a colorful program that captivated both kids and adults alike. Hands-on stations, live demonstrations, and virtual experiences made complex topics tangible and fun. The blend of play, learning, and amazement sparked bright eyes and lively conversations—even parents with technical backgrounds discovered something new.

AI applications can be found in nearly every field of research. One of the most familiar is object recognition. But is it easy for AI? Not quite - AI must first learn and be trained with data, a process known as machine learning. During Mouse Day, kids got to become trainers themselves, teaching AI the differences between apples, pears, bananas, and plums at several stations hosted by the Konrad Zuse School relAI. Some even trained the program to recognize their own faces and tested it with siblings or other visitors. Manuel Hülskamp, Natascha Niessen, Lisa Schmierer, and Richard Schwan were on hand to assist.

On the flip side, AI can also serve as a helper and trainer - for example, in learning to read. Franziska Kaltenberger from Prof. Enkelejda Kasneci’s group presented two prototypes that use eye-tracking to support young readers. Words that children linger on with their eyes are explained with images, making reading more intuitive.

What exactly is a neural network, the foundation of so many models? Sara-Viola Kuntz, a doctoral student working with Prof. Christian Kühn, tackled this question with the help of curious kids. Tasks and a game that involved building an increasingly better neural network made abstract concepts suddenly understandable.

Another major area is bioinformatics, which helps decode the building blocks of life and their functions. The basic structure of our DNA became both tangible and tasty as kids built DNA helices out of gummy bears - no child could resist this station. The folding possibilities of amino acid chains into peptides and large proteins were illustrated using colorful puffed corn balls. Kids used the amino acid letter codes to string bracelets and necklaces with their names or secret messages. Doctoral students Ayla Schröder, Armin Soleymaniniya, Tolga Tabanli, and Malte Weyrich, and their supervisors Prof. Markus List and Prof. Mathias Wilhelm, have already given the future biology teachers among their young visitors a sneak preview of what lies ahead. 

Gummy bears also sparked excitement at the station run by Max Binkle and Yufeng Xu. Using a spectroscope made from a chip can, both gummy bears and ink were closely examined. Predicting and determining physical properties of various materials and simulating atomic movements are essential tasks in Prof. David Egger’s group, which is searching for new, sustainable energy materials. The bouncing dots on the screens were already paving the way toward the energy of the future.

Turning 2D photos into 3D videos is no longer a challenge with AI support. Visitors at the MDSI station compared virtual renderings of the institute’s open space - created by Prof. Angela Dai’s group - with the real thing and were amazed by the level of detail in the virtual tour.

Our conclusion:

The open Day with the Mouse was a resounding success, and we’re already looking forward to inspiring kids and parents again next year!