Introducing young women to science in general and to microelectronics and physics in particular was the aim of two events recently held at the IHP to mark the "International Day of Women and Girls in Science". IHP invited around 40 schoolgirls from Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice. They experimented together, took a look inside laboratories and gained an insight into the working world of the institute's female scientists. One of the highlights was a recorded conversation with the well-known British scientist Dr Jess Wade.
What is it like to be the only girl in a class at a vocational school or in a lecture at university? How are you recognised as a woman when there are only men in a discussion group? These and similar questions were asked by female pupils from schools in Frankfurt (Oder) as well as pupils from schools in Słubice and Kunowice. IHP colleagues provided answers and talked about their careers and day-to-day work. A few days earlier, they themselves had discussed such questions with the British scientist Dr Jess Wade. She is committed to promoting more women in engineering and natural sciences, diversity and developing educational concepts in the STEM field. If you type "famous female scientist" into Google, portraits of Marie Curie and Lise Meitner come up. For this reason, Dr Jess Wade writes entries on Wikipedia about female scientists of the 21st century. She has already completed over 2000 such entries. The recording of the discussion with Dr Jess Wade served as the basis for the final discussions during the events at the IHP.
"Women are still underrepresented in science, and unfortunately only 18% of our scientific staff at IHP are currently women," says Anna Herfurth, Head of Human Resources at IHP. "We have therefore been actively encouraging women at all levels for many years. For example, we have just welcomed two young women from the EnterTechnik programme for a three-month orientation internship," she explains. The participatory process "Leading for Equality" was also about raising awareness and visibility of equality. As a result, IHP's current equality plan also addresses equal opportunities management and family friendliness. IHP is a member of the "Bündnis für Familie" and offers the pme family service for employees. The institute has also been honoured several times with the TOTAL E-QUALITY award.
"Our efforts in the STEM field are aimed at children and young people in general. We have numerous collaborations and events for this purpose. Special days, the CoderDojo, our participation in the Frankfurt holiday calendar and the Brandenburg Future Day are examples. By providing exciting insights into the world of STEM professions and the numerous areas of application for microelectronics, we are helping to secure the future of our skilled labour workforce," says Anna Herfurth.
