Year-end at MinTU: A look back at physics, pizza and perspectives

The importance of role models was demonstrated in the exchange with the mentors. They themselves study STEM subjects at TU Dortmund University and accompany the twelve to fourteen-year-old mentees through the program, show them the campus and take them on leisure activities away from the university. With the mentors, the mentees have contacts, guides and sometimes also fellow students. It was not only the mentees who occasionally encountered difficult content. One mentor said with a smile: "We've noticed that it's not just the mentees who sometimes don't understand the content - I often sit there and have to ask questions too."

Over the course of the year, the girls and their mentors visited eight STEM departments at TU Dortmund University on a total of four workshop days, giving them exciting insights into various subjects. Whether at DASA or during laboratory exercises at the university - the mentees were able to experiment, ask questions and gain their own experiences. One mentee summarized her insight as follows: "'I can't do that' just means: 'I can still learn that'."

For another mentee, the program was particularly important because it wasn't just about learning. It was also about making friends, getting to know university life and spending free time together: "Once we baked pizza in our mentor's shared flat - that was really cool." When asked what STEM relevance the pizza baking had, she replied with a laugh: "None. It was just delicious and fun."

In addition to fun and new friendships, concrete plans for the future also emerged. Engineering in particular aroused the interest of many girls and was mentioned as a possible study option after leaving school.

A highlight of the evening was the science show "Science is fun" by science editor Joachim Hecker. He used vivid experiments to demonstrate how ultrasound works. Using technical devices, he translated chewing chips and flowing water into ultrasound and showed how ultrasound makes it possible to look inside the human body. He then had girls and parents compete against each other to see who could hear the high-pitched ultrasonic sounds for the longest time. The result was clear: the parents had to admit defeat, as the ability to hear high frequencies decreases with age.

The science show was followed by the presentation of the certificates. The event then turned into a relaxed get-together: Over snacks and drinks, parents and participants got to talk to each other, exchanged impressions and reviewed the past months. For the mentees and mentors, the evening marked the end of an intensive year full of new experiences and friendships - others were already looking forward to the next round of MinTU - Mädchen in die TU Dortmund University.