JWS press release on the school partnership with the Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Pune, India
Supported by the Goethe-Institut and the Rotary Club Pforzheim, the Johanna Wittum School has initiated a school partnership with the Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Pune, India, in 2021. The Goal of the partnership is to exchange experiences in the field of biotechnology. After a successful virtual exchange during the pandemic, the first meeting took place in Pune from 27 October to 7 November 2023. The students Helena Burckhart, Viviane Neugebauer and Mina Özisletici as well as biotechnology teacher Braun were guests in India. The focus of this meeting was green biotechnology, i.e. the genetic optimisation of crops. This is of great importance in India in order to ensure that the population is fed, says student Mina Özisletici, who took part in the India exchange programme.
Five students and two teachers from the Modern College are in Pforzheim for a return visit from 10 May to 20 May. They are living with host families and will have fond memories of Pforzheim. The focus of their stay is red biotechnology. A visit to the pharmaceutical company Roche GmbH in Mannheim and the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg are therefore on the agenda.
However, the JWS’s core expertise in biotechnology, the experimental work in the school’s safety laboratory, will also enrich the exchange. An experiment lasting several days on the new gene scissors will be carried out jointly. The JWS students will pass on their laboratory expertise to the Indian guests in small international working groups.
We are looking forward to the challenges of our Indian friends’ visit with great joy, but also a little excitement, says Helena Burckhart, another student with Indian experience. In addition to the professional exchange, the cultural aspect of the visit will of course not be neglected; we want to introduce our guests to the city of Pforzheim, its history and the Black Forest, adds Viviane Neugebauer.
