A “lightbulb moment” with a fun twist: BUW student Till Lehnen sets the record for sheep herding

23.06.2026|08:17 Uhr

How do you explain the theory behind energy flows and their dynamic interactions to a lay audience? The “effort+flow” exhibition creatively conveyed the research being conducted by scientists at the University of Wuppertal (BUW) in the Collaborative Research Center “Port-Hamiltonian Systems.” Earlier this year, visitors to the Kunsthalle Barmen were able to not only beat the high score in the game “Sheep Herding” but also develop an understanding of the science at the intersection of mathematics, engineering, and physics. BUW student Till Lehnen did the best. The exhibition’s organizing team has now presented him with a special prize for his best time.

It took Till Lehnen 32.3 seconds to use a controller to guide the herding dog on the screen through a flock of sheep so that, in the end, all the sheep found their way to the correct pen. “After playing several times, you eventually figure out how the sheep react to the dog’s path and can optimize your controls,” explains the architecture student.

You can read the full article from June 22 on the University of Wuppertal's news portal: https://www.uni-wuppertal.de/de/news/detail/aha-erlebnis-mit-spassfaktor-bestzeit-im-schafehueten-geht-an-buw-student-till-lehnen/