Girls' Day 2024: A Day that Inspires Girls and Opens Doors

On April 25, 2024, the Girls Day 2024 took place, where the Leibniz-Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe (IVW) in Kaiserslautern introduced girls online to the fascinating world of natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Our colleagues Sonja Adlerand Valentine Domengie explained to the participating girls from grades 5 to 11 what fiber-reinforced composites are and what the everyday life of a materials researcher looks like.

Additionally, they demonstrated with short videos how test specimens can be manufactured, tested, and characterized in the laboratory. These illustrative examples highlighted to the girls how diverse and exciting the world of STEM professions can be.

Sonja Adler and Valentine Domengie, both materials researchers at IVW, took the time to give the girls an insight into their everyday work. Using vivid examples, they explained how fiber-reinforced composites are manufactured, what properties they possess, and how they are used in various industrial sectors.

"It was inspiring to see how curious and engaged the girls were to learn more about fiber-reinforced composites and materials research," says Valentine Domengie. "Even though the Girls Day took place online, we were still able to give the girls an insight into our exciting work and inspire them for STEM topics."

Sonja Adler is also convinced of the importance of the Girls Day: "It is important to introduce girls to the diversity of STEM professions early on and to encourage them to discover their talents and passions. The Girls Day makes an important contribution to enabling girls to fully exploit their professional opportunities."

We would like to extend special thanks to the VDI Technologiezentrum for supporting the Girls Day 2024.