Girls' Day 2024 at Fraunhofer IAF

At this year's Girls' Day on April 25, Fraunhofer IAF once again welcomed schoolgirls from grade 8 onwards. The girls were given insight into research, laboratories and the day-to-day work of scientists. 

Dr. Jutta Kühn welcomed the twelve girls between the ages of 13 and 15 and gave a brief insight into her own career. The electrical engineering graduate has been at Fraunhofer IAF for 18 years, received her doctorate in 2010, took over a group management position, in 2018 additionally the division management of the departments and is the deputy institute director. After a short crash course on semiconductors, microelectronics and diamonds as well as a safety briefing, the students moved on to the practical part.

In the cleanroom, the students were able to paint wafers and then witness how their drawing was transformed into a golden microstructure. They learned about the special conditions in a cleanroom and were allowed to slip into the protective overalls themselves. A special highlight: the pupils were of course allowed to take their self-designed wafers home with them.

In the diamond laboratory, the students were able to try out for themselves how robust this material is and why wafer-thin diamond disks glide effortlessly through ice cubes thanks to their thermal conductivity. They then watched how diamond is grown, characterized and cut. On the one hand, the girls learned how complex it is to produce the thinnest layers of high-purity diamond, and on the other, they learned about the many different applications of diamond.  

At the end of the day, three female employees from the science and technics department of Fraunhofer IAF talked about their careers and what their tasks at Fraunhofer IAF are. Once again, the students had the opportunity to ask questions about training and career paths. Dr. Vera Klinger, group leader and equal opportunities officer at Fraunhofer IAF, organized the Girls' Day and answered the girls' questions herself. She is convinced of Girls' Day: “This future day is a great opportunity to give girls their first insights into research and science. And in the best-case scenario, we even awaken an enthusiasm for it in one or two of them. There is no better way to do this than the direct and practical insight into the laboratories. I hope the girls enjoyed the day as much as we hosts did.”

About the initiative:

On Girls' Day, girls learn about professions or fields of study in which the proportion of women is below 40 percent, e.g. in the areas of IT, skilled trades, natural sciences and technology. Or they meet female role models in leading positions in business and politics.

Girls' Day has been taking place since 2001 and is sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Further information: www.girls-day.de