zdi heroines October

Join

In the zdi Heroine October we introduce girls and women from the MINT sector who shared their personal experiences and impressions about MINT with us. These zdi heroines represent the diversity of MINT women and show girls and young women interested in MINT potential areas of activity. We are always looking for zdi heroines – feel free to talk to us! 

The highlight of the zdi heroines October was once again the zdi girls camp. This time it took place at the Schloss-Holte-Stukenbrock comprehensive school in the Gütersloh district. In over 13 workshops, students were able to try out, examine and give feedback on STEM educational offerings. Parents also played a role at the zdi girls' camp because they are important partners and role models when it comes to young people's career and study choices. Parents should therefore also be sensitized to cliché-free career and study orientation in a workshop supervised by the zdi state office (LGS) - just like a group of students who also took part in a workshop held by the zdi-LGS in collaboration with the municipal coordination office Workshop to discuss gender stereotypes in the professional world. After the evaluation, you will find out which methods we can particularly recommend for cliché-free career and study orientation.

Interview: Getting girls excited about technology with Gesche Neusel and Juliane Orth

“Technology journalism for everyone” is the motto of the research project “Electrical engineering instead of BibisBeautyPalace“. The project was carried out at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences under the direction of Prof. Dr. Susanne Keil performed. We have already reported on the project and the resulting guidelines here on the zdi portal. You can read the whole portrait here.

Portrait: Phyllis Ndugire from the zdi network cleverMINT

Phyllis Ndugire was already enthusiastic about engineering at the age of six. She is now doing her doctorate at the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and heads the university's affiliated department zdi center cleverMINT. In zdi heroine portrait Let's shed light on her career and the importance of strong women's networks. You can read the whole portrait here.

Interview: Carmen Köhler, astro-adventurer and ambassador for AI and digitalization

In the zdi Heroine October interview we spoke to Carmen Köhler. Her CV is anything but boring: She is a trained hairdresser whose passion for mathematics led her to a doctorate in physics. Today she conducts research at the Basque Center for Climate Change on the interrelationships between humans, society and natural systems, conducts research for future Mars missions as an analog astronaut and founded a company for weather and earth observation data services, P3R GmbH. You can find out why this actually applies in this case Post .

Portrait: Karin Ressel from the Minden-Lübbecke Technical Center

In this Heroine October, we would like to focus on women from the MINT community who make a very special contribution to MINT education in NRW. We would like to start with Karin Ressel, head of the Minden-Lübbecke Technology Center. We visited them in their technical center in August. “Your” technical center? You can find out why this actually applies in this case Post .

In 11 workshops, around 140 schoolgirls discussed with activists from zdi networks and worked out solutions together. As operators of extracurricular learning locations throughout North Rhine-Westphalia, it is particularly important to them that their courses appeal to girls and young women. The proposed solutions could be implemented directly in practice - for example in test series on the subject of photosynthesis or in the racing simulator.

On the zdi community platform mint-community.de A group was set up in which the participants can continue to work on their ideas and approaches after the event. The complete documentation of the event and evaluation of the results will be published here on zdi-Portal.de in a timely manner.

From the zdi course to the Max Planck Institute

If you ask Pia Münstermann how she got to where she is now, her answer sounds quite simple at first: perseverance and diligence! But the will to succeed is not always enough. It also needs outside support. In the zdi heroine portrait, we show Pia Münstermann's path from a student with a great interest in chemistry to becoming a chemical laboratory assistant at the renowned Max Planck Institute for Coal Research.

In an interview: The managing director of the Bergisches Waste Management Association

Since 2003, Monika Lichtinghagen-Wirths has been the managing director of the Bergisches Waste Management Association. Since 2010 she has also been responsible for the project as a project manager :metabolon project, which as an extracurricular place of learning is closely linked to the local zdi networks. In the podcast "It's all happening now - the future of the circular economyIn an interview with podcast host Anja Kuhn, Monika Lichtinghagen-Wirths provides information on current topics in the circular economy, explains terms such as "circular value creation" and goes into the work of the Leppe landfill.

Passionate mechatronics engineer

Sentences like "Computer science isn't for girls!" are not just nonsense. In view of the STEM skills shortage, this attitude is even problematic. It has long been clear that women in technical professions can also stand up for themselves. One of these women is Sophie Charlotte Keunecke. She programmed her first robot at the age of twelve and is now a doctoral student at the Institute for Transmission Technology, Machine Dynamics and Robotics at RWTH Aachen University. The 26-year-old has specialized in robotics and conducts research in the field of automation technology.

In an interview: process engineer Dr. Nina Woicke

Nina Woicke is a process engineering engineer, freelance consultant and product developer. She is passionate about very special plastics and their practical applications. Which plastics are involved? why Plastic per se is not "evil" and like Nina Woicke came to study engineering - she discussed this with Sandra Fleckenstein in the #ResearchersFriday Podcast spoken.

Moving mountains in people's heads, not only on the construction site - Interview with Barbara Hagedorn

Barbara Hagedorn is an entrepreneur and, together with her husband Thomas, runs the Hagedorn group of companies, one of the largest demolition companies in the world and all-round service provider in the areas of demolition, disposal, civil engineering and land revitalization. She describes herself as a mother, managing director, front woman, controlled whirlwind, communicative, honest, warm and committed. zdi.NRW met Barbara Hagedorn for an interview and talked to her about women in the construction industry, entrepreneurial independence and female recruiting.

Female empowerment in the digital industry - Interview with Zerrin Börcek

Zerrin Börcek is the founder of the fe: male innovation hub. As a STEM enthusiast and zdi heroine, she has set herself the goal of getting girls and young women interested in STEM subjects. She is 41 years old and graduated from the RWTH Aachen Technical Communication with communication sciences and computer science. On the occasion of the zdi heroines October, we spoke to her about how more young women can be prepared for self-employment in the digital economy and which traditional thought structures they have to struggle with. Her credo: learn to face prejudices with acceptance and just get started!

Pants, plasters, car seats: textile and design engineers Anna Burst (textile engineer) and Victoria Gebhart in an interview

How is a sweater actually made? What is a patch made of? And what does a bicycle have to do with textiles? Anna Burst (textile engineer) and Victoria Gebhart (design engineer), both active at FEMNET, talk about their way to the job. The interview is provided by the editors of lizzynet.de available on the occasion of the zdi heroines October.

Dream job master roofer – a portrait of Marion Meissner

A metallic click, then the gate to the courtyard of the Master roofer company Meusch in Bergheim. What at first glance looks like a normal semi-detached house in the city of 60.000 is home to a traditional business that has been family-owned for four generations and is now run by a woman: Marion Meissner...On the occasion of the zdi-Helden-October we have Marion Meissner in Bergheim and talked to her about the hurdles for women in the trades, her calling and the way to entrepreneurial independence.

Topic dossier | Female entrepreneurs in the STEM field

Women are underrepresented in entrepreneurship. The reasons for this are diverse. Too few role models, difficult access to financing options, unfavorable political framework conditions. But self-employment offers women numerous advantages - also and especially in the STEM field.

Black Hole Suction - Dr. A portrait of Silke Britzen

Invisible, black and extremely attractive - black holes are one of the greatest mysteries of the universe and defy our imagination. dr Silke Britzen from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn has been researching the mysterious objects in the universe for almost twenty years. And was instrumental in the scientific sensation of recent years: the first image of a black hole.

The fascination of water – Prof. Dr. Martina Havenith on her passion for research

What motivates women to do research? How do you experience working as a scientist? And what advice do you give to young girls who are interested in STEM? zdi.NRW answers these questions during the zdi heroines October by presenting researchers from NRW who can serve as role models for others.

The human factor – Prof. Dr. Sabrina Eimler on the role of psychology in computer science

What motivates women to do research? How do you experience working as a scientist? And what advice would you give to young girls who are interested in MINT? zdi.NRW answers these questions during the zdi heroines October by presenting researchers from NRW who can serve as role models for others. 

A biologist follows the call of the heart - Prof. Dr. Portrait of Petra Kleinbongard

Like many women of her generation, Petra Kleinbongard, who was born in the 1970s, studied biology. She then found her professional destiny in medicine: Today she is deputy head of the Institute for Pathophysiology at the University Hospital in Essen and researches how the heart can be better protected against damage caused by an infarction. And she encourages other young women to venture into the "elbow society" of medicine.

Topic dossier | Women and the Nobel Prize

57 out of 924 – that’s how many (or few) women have been honored with a Nobel Prize in the past 120 years. A shockingly low rate. A change seems to be on the way this year: a total of three women were honored with the highest scientific award. A reason to take a closer look at the role of women in science.

Topic dossier | women in science

In October 2020, the zdi heroines will tell us what it means to be a woman in the STEM field. It is a modern phenomenon that women can make their own decisions about an apprenticeship, a course of study and a career. Last year, zdi.NRW examined the cultural history of women in science to find out why women are still underrepresented in the MINT field.