Schoolgirls spent a week at the TU Ilmenau's Summer University experiencing everyday life as a student in Ilmenau. They got a taste of all the university's faculties and got to know campus life.
Lectures, laboratory tours, experiments and a varied leisure program - this and much more was experienced by high school girls at TU Ilmenau. The Summer University is organized annually by the Devision of Equality, Diversity and Health with the support of the Thuringian Coordination Office for Science and Technology (ThüKo NWT) - with the aim of supporting female students in their choice of studies.
Each day, the girls got a taste of a different faculty at TU Ilmenau, attended exciting lectures and were introduced to the university's research. In the laboratories, they determined the speed of sound in the air with Kund's tube, bonded metal, soldered or learned about the technology for the most precise measurement technology in the world, made in Ilmenau. Dipl.-Ing. Christoph Hahm from the Precision Engineering Group guided the schoolgirls through the test benches in Newtonbau together with his department head Prof. René Theska. In the courses offered by his faculty of mechanical engineering, in particular, there are significantly more male than female students enrolled. The scientist hopes that the summer university will inspire more girls to study science and technology:
I think as soon as the female students experience studying at TU Ilmenau on site and practically test their skills through experiments in the MNT subjects, they are more likely to trust themselves to study engineering. The summer university is a great way to encourage them in their talents.
At a Studi Talk, the schoolgirls had the opportunity to address their questions about studying to students at the TU Ilmenau. In the university library, they received an introduction to scientific work, and leisure activities such as a stroll through the city or an evening at the cinema were also on the agenda. With the varied program during the Summer University, Nadine Heuchling, project manager for the Summer University and employee in the Devision of Equality, Diversity and Health, wants to give the schoolgirls comprehensive insights into studying at the TU Ilmenau and support them as best as possible in their choice of studies:
Girls in particular often do not trust themselves to study a STEM subject, despite their talent and good grades at school, and want to be very sure that they will be able to do so. Through the practical experience at the summer university, they can get an idea of the requirements of studying at the TU Ilmenau on site. Some of the participants actually choose our university and successfully manage their studies.
Impressions of the Summer University 2023
Contact
Nadine Heuchling
Division of Equality, Diversity and Health