Girls’ Day 2025 at Fraunhofer IAF

As part of this year’s Girls’ Day on April 3, Fraunhofer IAF once again welcomed schoolgirls from grade 8 onwards, giving the girls an insight into the laboratories and the day-to-day scientific work of the researchers.  

First, Dr. Jutta Kühn welcomed the thirteen girls between the ages of 13 and 15 and gave an insight into her own career and how she came to the institute. The electrical engineering graduate has been at Fraunhofer IAF for 18 years, obtained her doctorate in 2010, took over a group management position, in 2018 also became head of the departments and is the deputy head of the institute. After a short crash course on semiconductors, microelectronics and diamonds as well as a safety briefing, the students moved on to the practical part of the visit.

One highlight: the visit to the cleanroom, where the students were able to paint their own wavers and watch their drawing being transformed into a golden microstructure. They learned about the special conditions in a cleanroom and were allowed to slip into the protective equipment themselves. A look under the microscope also demonstrated how detailed and precise microelectronics are.

In the diamond laboratory, the students were able to try out the “ice test” to see for themselves how robust this material is and why ultra-fine diamond disks glide effortlessly through ice cubes thanks to their pronounced thermal conductivity. They then watched how diamond is grown, characterized and cut. They were also allowed to take a diamond sample in the shape of a small heart with them. Afterwards, there was a trip to the MOCVD hall, where the work on the machines, including the planetary system and the hydrofluoric acid cleaning system, was demonstrated.

At the end of the day, four female employees from the science and technology departments of Fraunhofer IAF talked about their careers and their tasks at Fraunhofer IAF. Once again, the schoolgirls 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 a firm believer in Girls’ Day: “Every year, I look forward to giving interested schoolgirls an insight into our work and awakening their enthusiasm for the natural sciences.”

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