Girls stem STEM

11/22/2024
Reading time 3 min.

The Technical University of Munich – that’s top positions in international rankings, millions in acquired third-party funding, research at the highest level. But what’s maybe even more important: TUM is a place that enables young people to develop their talents, without which such achievements would be impossible. That doesn’t only start at university: As part of the “TUM Entdeckerinnen” program, TUM cooperates with schools throughout Bavaria to get girls interested in STEM subjects. One of its partner schools, the Realschule Trostberg, has just been honored with the MINT21 Digital Award.

A group of six people, including three adult women, two female pupils and one male pupil, on stage at the MINT21 Digital Award ceremony at the Staatliche Realschule in Herrsching. The pupil stands in the middle and speaks into a hand-held microphone. — The Staatliche Realschule Trostberg accepts the MINT21 Digital Award together with Claudia Sohnius from ExploreTUM

Bringing STEM to school

The number of women in STEM subjects is increasing, and more and more female first-year students are opting for a program that deals with mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, or technology. And yet, almost twice as many men as women are starting their studies in a STEM program.

That’s why TUM has been working for more than 20 years to overcome obstacles and remove barriers that make it difficult for young women to enter what are perceived to be male-dominated fields of study and work. ExploreTUM helps young people find the best education for them – and is particularly committed to supporting girls.

Susanne Bley and Claudia Sohnius describe the mission of the “TUM Entdeckerinnen” program: “Unlocking the potentials of these girls – for them, but also for society.” The ExploreTUM team provides a wide range of activities to help young women discover the many facets and opportunities of STEM subjects: The Girls’ Day allows young women not only to take a look at research labs but also to experience female scientists as inspiring role models; “MINT-Erlebnis an der Uni” provides a space for girls to implement their own projects in multi-day hands-on courses, from self-built alarm systems to photochemical experiments; and the “MINT-Impulse an der Schule” bring young scientists from TUM to its eight partner schools throughout Bavaria where schoolgirls spend a whole day immersing themselves in the fascinating world of technology and science in a fun and child-oriented way.

Prize-worthy school work

During each school year, girls at these schools participate in a project day dedicated to various projects covering various facets of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and engineering. For such a STEM Day, one of TUM’s partner schools has now been awarded for its commitment to promoting STEM: The Staatliche Realschule Trostberg was one of nine Bavarian secondary schools to receive the MINT²¹ Digital Award. With this prize, the Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, in cooperation with the employers’ associations of the Bavarian metal and electrical industry, the Bavarian Business Association, and the Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft, recognizes school programs that combine the acquisition of STEM skills with digital learning in a particularly innovative and successful way.

Anna Eckl, one of the instructors of the MINT-Impulse program, facing the viewer, leaning over a table at which four schoolgirls are sitting and on which documents and cables are spread out for them to build sensors. — TUM instructor Anna Eckl working on a project with schoolgirls from Realschule Trostberg

Billiards, beads, breaking barriers

Around 60 schoolgirls took part in this year’s STEM Day at the Realschule Trostberg. Together with their instructors from TUM, they learned to measure spaces with various tools, investigated the “billiard hypothesis”, or laid the foundation for programming their own app – and for crafting an individual beaded bracelet – by converting numerical into binary values. They not only learned a lot about how science and technology shape our everyday lives, but also about themselves: “I seem to be quite good at stringing beads – and at thinking in binary codes,” one of the participating girls smiles. Michaela Waldinger, one of the teachers who organizes the STEM Days in Trostberg, puts it in a broader perspective: “Our cooperation with TUM not only provides exciting insights, it also promotes the girls’ self-confidence and their interest in these future-oriented fields.”

Because in their practical projects, they experience very tangibly the topics taught in STEM subjects and the opportunities they offer for their own future and the future of our society as a whole. Or, as another participant sums up her experience of the STEM Day: “Everyone is talking about STEM all the time – but it was only today that I really understood what’s to be explored behind these letters.”

Further information and links

“MINT-Impulse” is sponsored by Hg foundation.

Technical University of Munich