Teaching Simulations and High Performance Computing at Secondary Schools in the German State of Baden-Württemberg

Two German High Performace Computing (HPC) centers (SCC & HLRS), as well as the Center for Interdisciplinary Risk and Innovation Studies (ZIRIUS) of the University of Stuttgart have jointly created a program to relay knowledge about simulations to students at secondary schools. Through this program they want to narrow the gap between visibility and significance of this technology in modern society. While being a fascinating field of study in itself, simulations can also be used as a vehicle to relay the strong (but frequently invisible) impact that HPC and its applications have on society today. This paper discusses the practical experiences made by the project team of "Simulierte Welten" (engl.: "Simulated Worlds") over the course of several years and introduces concepts that have proven to be useful.