Reach for the moon!
On Girls' Day at the HSZG, schoolgirls in grades 5 to 9 were given an insight into various STEM degree courses.
It glitters and sparkles! Amelie proudly holds up her new bookmark. The sixth-grader crafted a very special piece of metal made from a lightweight alloy during Girls’ Day on April 28, 2022, at the HSZG in the Materials Engineering and Materials Testing Laboratory of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. She and her school friends Wilma and Matilda had signed up for the “Girl Power in Mechanical Engineering!” program.
Through exciting experiments, Matthias Herrmann guided the students through various stations on material specification, which left the young researchers in awe. “We want to provide insights into the diverse opportunities in the fields of energy and environmental engineering and Mechanical Engineering,” explains the HSZG staff member. Above all, the experiments are designed to be enjoyable for the students and to encourage their interest in researching alternative raw materials and processes.
"It is precisely this generation of schoolgirls who want to help shape their future sustainably," says Matthias Herrmann.
”Professor Sophia Keil couldn’t agree more. The Vice President for Education and International Affairs welcomed the young female researchers to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and spoke about her own personal experiences as a high school student, college student, and researcher. “What I particularly like about this format is that you can feel the enthusiasm and curiosity of the young participants as they work their way through the stations. We’re not just imparting knowledge about our degree programs—we’re creating ‘wow’ moments. And those moments stay with the girls for a long time.”
There were also “wow” moments in the SCO-TTi lab at the Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management. Here, staff members from the Institute for Process Technology, Process Automation, and Measurement Technology (IPM), Daniel Fiß and Christian Vogel, demonstrated to a group of seventh- and ninth-grade girls from the Richard-von-Schlieben High School in Zittau and the Geschwister-Scholl High School in Löbau how to get a robot to collaborate with a human.
The students also got to know Anastasia. The Electrical Engineering and Computer Science student from Greece is currently doing her Master's degree and reported on her studies in Zittau as a foreign student. Fatima and Sevval listened with great interest to her account. 14-year-old Fatima comes from Turkey and is interested in computer science, especially everything to do with programming. "I want to start by working on a PC, but I can imagine working with robots later on," she says.
Ninth grader Sevval from Lebanon already has very concrete plans. "I want to study aerospace engineering." Could working with cobots, as presented by the IPM employees, also be important in this field? "Definitely," says the 16-year-old.
During her visit to the SCO-TTi lab, Vice President Sophia Keil discussed the wide range of opportunities offered by a technical degree program at HSZG. Factors such as sustainability, competitiveness, and cost-effectiveness were explained in detail, and by the end, the young participants even understood what the payback period of an investment actually means.
The motto of Girls’ Day was: “Whether it’s a typical male or female profession—what matters is what you want.” But what specific advice did our Vice President give the students? What was her motto? “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. (Note: by Norman Vincent Peale). So reach for the moon! Nothing is impossible! And no matter what challenges you face, always keep an eye out for possible solutions.”
Afterward, interested students were given a demonstration at the LaNDER³ Natural Fiber Center on how we can live and produce using what nature provides in the future—and how to do so in a way that protects our environment. Helene and Arna, both seventh-graders from Löbau, found it particularly fascinating to see how plants can be used to make biodegradable disposable tableware or train components. Finally, over lunch in the student canteen with the Vice President and academic advisor Lukasz Witków, everyone involved reflected on an exciting day.
At the annual nationwide Girls' Day , schoolgirls can get a taste of STEM professions that are atypical for girls. The aim is to put an end to role stereotypes for "non-gender-specific" professions.
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