The jDGM national spokespersons, Manuel Best and Katharina Bollmann, as well as the managing director of the DGM, Dr. Stefan Klein, came to the event with a guided tour through the laboratories of the Institute for Materials Research at Aalen University (IMFAA) and a get-together afterwards. Together with DGM President Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schneider and the Aalen chapter spokespersons Felix Trauter and Philipp Braun, they introduced the DGM and its activities to the interested students and institute staff.

The invitation to the event on 02 June 2022 of the jDGM local group Aalen was accepted by about 30 participants consisting of bachelor and master students as well as PhD students and employees of the institutes from the MatWerk area at Aalen University. The tour started with a guided tour through the laboratories of the two research buildings ZiMATE (Center for Innovative Materials and Technologies for Efficient Electrical Energy Conversion Machines) and ZTN (Center for Technology for Sustainability - Resource Conservation, Environment, CO2 Reduction). Here, participants were able to see, among other things, the laboratories for magnetic and battery materials as well as additive manufacturing and, of course, light and scanning electron microscopy. The tour continued with a short guided tour through the Science Center "explorhino", which is also located on the campus of Aalen University. Prof. Schneider enthusiastically showed the hands-on experiments with which the university tries to inspire visitors of all age groups for science and to attract young scientists.

This was followed by the presentation of the DGM by DGM President Prof. Gerhard Schneider and Managing Director Dr. Stefan Klein, as well as of the jDGM by Federal Spokesperson Katharina Bollmann, before moving on to the social part of the event. In the inner courtyard, the participants were able to get to know each other and exchange ideas with grilled food and drinks in the best weather. For many of the students, the event was also the first opportunity to network away from the lectures and to get to know the DGM and IMFAA better in a relaxed setting. This opportunity was used extensively by the students, PhD students and institute staff until late in the evening.

Thanks to the support of the federal team of the jDGM and the DGM office, the event was a complete success and a good starting point for further events of the jDGM local group Aalen.