Mentees and mentors start a new MinTU round together

On Thursday, February 5, 2026, the Equal Opportunities Office welcomed a total of 36 girls from schools in Dortmund and the surrounding area as well as six dedicated female mentors to the Rudolf Chaudoire Pavilion on South Campus. This marked the official start of the MinTU Year 2026.

Over the course of the year, the participants will learn from their mentors what it means to study a STEM subject at TU Dortmund University. Once again, the variety of subjects represented ranges from medical physics and computer science to chemical engineering.

Project coordinator Tijen Atkaya kicked off the event with an informative presentation about the coming months. The mentors then introduced themselves: They presented their fields of study and shared their anticipation for a year together full of discoveries and exciting experiences.

After the introductory part, things got practical: the mentees got together for the first time in their groups of up to six girls and got to know their mentor and the other mentees. The atmosphere was lively. Various games to get to know each other led to initial conversations about hobbies and previous STEM experiences. Playful experiments gave the mentees their first insights into the mentors' disciplines.

Finally, ideas for the first mentoring meetings were collected and plans were made: While some planned a cooking evening in the mentor's student residence, others planned a picnic in the park as soon as the weather will turned summery again.

In March, the mentees and mentors will then start with the first of a total of four workshop days at TU Dortmund University: they will gain their first experimental and practical insights into the departments of Computer Science and Architecture and Civil Engineering and get to know the subjects better.

The kick-off event was a successful start to the new MinTU year - full of energy, curiosity and anticipation of many inspiring encounters between mentees and mentors.