Tour through the lab of Eric Geertsma © Katrin Boes / MPI-CBG
We took part in this year’s Girls’ Day on April 3rd to encourage the discussion with interested girls on female careers in science. At the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the girls got a glimpse of how scientists work, and they heard about career paths in science.
Research group leader Sandra Scharaw and the two postdoctoral researchers Julia Pfanzelter and Émeline Bonsergent discussed their professions and answered questions such as, What is it like to be a scientist? Can you do research while raising a family? Why did you choose to be a scientist? What are your role models? The girls visited the research labs of Eric Geertsma and Mihail Sarov, visited the electron microscopy facility, and enjoyed a panoramic view from the institute roof! The MPI-CBG encourages discussion with interested girls because, even today, female scientists often have a more challenging time in the science world than their male colleagues.
Girls' Day, an initiative of the Federal Ministries for Education and Research (BMBF) and Family Affairs, the Elderly, Women, and Youth (BMFSFJ), is a German-wide campaign that introduces schoolgirls to a variety of careers and activities. Girls are especially encouraged to pursue technical careers in fields where women are still underrepresented, such as "MINT" (mathematics, engineering, natural sciences, and technology).
Tour through the lab of Eric Geertsma © Katrin Boes / MPI-CBG