260 pupils discover degree courses and apprenticeships
On Thursday, April 26, around 260 students in grades 5 to 10 at TU Dortmund University got a taste of study programs and apprenticeships that are generally preferred by the opposite sex. Girls were able to choose from 13 workshops in the fields of technology and natural sciences, while boys had the opportunity to take part in one of seven workshops in the social, educational and cultural sciences.
Girls' Day participants at the DLR_School_Lab, a school laboratory of the German Aerospace Center on the TU Dortmund University campus, had the opportunity to take part in various space-related experiments: 20 schoolgirls aged between 11 and 17 had the chance to make microcapsules that regulate the temperature in spacesuits or experience a spacewalk outside the ISS through virtual reality goggles.
Practical insights into the everyday life of a scientist
In the Department of Physics, schoolgirls were also given a practical insight into the everyday life of a scientist: after receiving a theoretical introduction in a lecture by female students and doctoral candidates and learning about important rules and regulations for working in the laboratory, there was an experiment on lasers in a laboratory in the Experimental Physics 2 department. In the experiment, the students were able to direct lasers themselves via adjustable mirrors in order to hit a target at the end. 14-year-old Diana was one of the enthusiastic participants: "I think it's great that the students answer all the questions and that we get to know the university." She herself would like to study astrophysics and research black holes later on. Kira Deltenre, physics student and responsible for the workshop at her department, sees Girls'Day as a "win-win situation for both schoolgirls and female students": schoolgirls learn what physics means outside of school, and female students also get an insight into the practical research that is open to them after graduation.
One of the new activities offered this year was a workshop on training as a "media designer for image and sound". Students were able to try their hand at recording technology, camera work, directing and editing and find out what the work of the TV learning station nrwision at TU Dortmund University's Institute of Journalism looks like.
Discover cultural sciences, rehabilitation sciences and art
The boys didn't miss out on Future Day either: at Boys' Day, there was plenty to discover in the fields of cultural studies, art and rehabilitation sciences. One group of students analyzed clichés about British and American culture in the film "Kingsman" at the Institute of American Studies, while another group tried out software and technical devices in the field of rehabilitation sciences that provide assistance with various physical impairments. A communication aid, a so-called "talker" that works with eye-tracking technology, was particularly exciting.
Girls'Day and Boys'Day were coordinated by the Equal Opportunities Office at TU Dortmund University. The campaign days take place once a year throughout Germany.