"phyphox" one of Germany's ten best ideas

To mark its anniversary, the Stifterverband launched the "Wirkung hoch 100" initiative. In a multi-stage selection process, ideas from all over Germany faced the jury. Out of 100 outstanding ideas proposing solutions to challenges in the fields of science, education and innovation, the panel initially selected 30 applicants, which were subjected to a second round of scrutiny. Now the Stifterverband's ten finalists have been determined and will compete in the finals at the end of November.

One of the ideas that made it to the finals is the "phyphox" app. The application helps to understand physical phenomena. In the process, the user's smartphone becomes a physics lab. The idea for the app came from Prof. Christoph Stampfer (JARA-FIT director) and Dr. Sebastian Staacks from the II Institute of Physics at RWTH Aachen University. Together with students, the two scientists developed the "phyphox" app in 2016. The application uses the sensors of the cell phone, which in this way serve as measuring devices and provide data. Originally, the app was intended for physics students in their first semester. However, "phyphox" has now also found its way into school classrooms and has already been downloaded over two million times. The app and its developers have already received other awards, such as the Archimedes Prize.

Further information on the "phyphox" app: https://phyphox.org/

Further information on the Stifterverband's anniversary initiative "Wirkung hoch 100" (in german): https://www.stifterverband.org/wirkunghoch100