On Girls' Day on April 3, the TU Ilmenau and two research institutes on the university campus will open their doors to schoolgirls interested in technology and science. Girls from the 7th grade onwards can try out five different workshops. It pays to be quick, as workshop places at the TU Ilmenau, the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT and the Institute of Microelectronics and Mechatronics Systems IMMS are limited. Information and registration:www.girls-day.de

The aim of the nationwide Girls' Day is to inspire girls to study technology or science beyond gender stereotypes and to promote their talents. On this day, schoolgirls can take the day off from school to gain an in-depth insight into the relevant degree courses and professions and thus lose their reservations about mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. TU Ilmenau and the two research institutes are offering five workshops on Girls' Day on April 3:

 
Schild an einer Hauswand mit der Aufschrift "Workshops Technische Universität Ilmenau"Eightonesix/stock.adobe.com

Live medical technology - discover the fascinating connection between technology and medicine

In the "Medical technology under voltage" workshop, the girls learn what the measurement of electrical voltage has to do with muscle strength, physical fitness and brain activity, and how X-rays have revolutionized medical diagnostics. And in the ophthalmology laboratory, they learn how electrical measurement technology can be used to detect eye diseases at an early stage.

 

Hearing in mixed reality - exciting experiments in the modern hearing laboratory

In the "Hearing in Mixed Reality" workshop, participants explore a current trend in gaming and entertainment: mixed reality, the extension of reality by adding virtual, i.e. artificial, sound sources. In a practical demonstration of an audio system, they learn about all the essential components of audio mixed reality: from recording and signal processing to the reproduction of the virtual soundscape in real space.

 

Hands-on physics and mathematics - interactive experiments for curious minds

In the "Hands-on physics and mathematics" workshop, participants learn about natural phenomena at very different length scales: from tiny elementary particles to the vastness of the cosmos. On a small scale, they make the jumps of electrons in the atom "visible" and on a very large scale, acoustic sound waves.

In the mathematical part of the workshop, the girls try to determine the optimal solution for two practical problems: To design a zoo with as few enclosures as possible that meets the animals' needs. And to plan the optimal, i.e. the shortest, round trip through the European capitals for the German Chancellor.

Hauswand mit Schild mit der Aufschrift "Workshops Fraunhofer Institut für digitale Medientechnologie"Eightonesix/stock.adobe.com

Girls and AI: Let's wonder and try! - Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of artificial intelligence

In the workshop "Girls and AI: Let's wonder and try!" at Fraunhofer IDMT, the girls immerse themselves in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). Using a simple programming language in which the commands are strung together like building blocks, they learn how to program their own AI.

By the end of the workshop, they will have programmed their own chatbot or trained the AI to distinguish apples from bananas.

Hauswand mit der Aufschrift "Workshops Institut für Mikroelektronik- und Mechatronik-Systeme""Eightonesix/stock.adobe.com

What does a research institute actually do and what does an engineer's working day look like?

In the workshop at the Institute of Microelectronics and Mechatronics Systems, the participants conduct experiments to find out what the guitar, violin, piano and saxophone have in common and learn what vibrations are capable of and how they can be made visible.

They write their first program code and solve exciting tasks with the Calliope mini system on the OpenRoberta programming platform.

They make LED writing work and switch on light using movements. And tricky questions await them in a puzzle corner.