When "Die Sendung mit der Maus" calls, it does not go unheard at the Erwin L. Hahn Institute for MRI (ELH). Every year since 2012, on 3 October, institutions, companies and other facilities throughout Germany open their doors that would otherwise remain closed to the public.

This year, the motto of the door-opening day was "True Treasures". Of course, the treasure of the ELH is the 7Tesla scanner, but to make the hunt more exciting, the ELH team painstakingly prepared a scavenger hunt, which in the end led to a treasure chest within the treasure - the MRI scanner.

The two slots offered were fully booked within a few days, and even on the morning of the event, enquiries were still fluttering into the mailbox. After a short introduction to the topic of MRI and the special building of the ELH, the adults were given a short guided tour of the scanner, while the children - divided into three groups - set out to walk through the stations and solve small riddles. Which of the sounds belongs to an MRI? Which vegetable is depicted on this scan? And is a magnet actually always on?

The children tackled the tasks with great enthusiasm, so that both adults and the young scientists had a lot of fun. The final highlight was the treasure chest specially designed by ELH with unknown contents, which had to be scanned for safety's sake before it could be opened. Is it an orange? An apple? There were eager guesses and discussions, and in the end there was a little surprise when the chest was opened: not only was there fruit inside, but also little sweets, which the children were allowed to help themselves to.

We are very happy about the all-round positive feedback we received and of course hope that we have helped kindling an interest in science. We will be back next year!