STEM from within
‘We have our costume box for the girls here, and the workbench for the boys over there.’ We were touring the rooms of the local daycare centre with child no. 2, and I remember thinking: ‘I wonder what kind of life and career plans this corset might produce in young people.’ Fortunately, my child was unimpressed by the rigid stereotypes and could be seen sitting in full Elsa the Snow Queen costume, happily tinkering with the chemistry set he requested.
How can we create an inclusive STEM culture? Our first Journal of 2025 highlights initiatives on the Adlershof campus aimed at identifying and supporting young scientific talent. The activities are manifold: Next to events like Girls' Day, the Girls' Technology Congress and the Long Night of the Sciences, there are apprenticeship networks, student labs, research competitions, and even a team of kicking robots at the Department of Computer Science of Humboldt-Universität.
Both our cover story and our conversation with ST(E)AM project head Melissa Horchemer show that it is possible to break down gender stereotypes, spark enthusiasm at a young age, make them tangible through hands-on experiences, and inspire people through role models.
New year, new look: If you're a regular reader, you may have noticed a slight redesign. With a clearer layout, it will be easier for us to share the stories from our fascinating neighbourhood.
Wishing you a great start to 2025.
Sincerely,
Peggy Mory
Editor-in-chief
News in short
Adlershof Research Forum
Held in November 2024, the Adlershof Research Forum (AFF in German) is a conference designed for interdisciplinary exchange and strategic inputs within the scientific community of the Technology Park and organised by Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the research network of non-university institutes IGAFA e. V., and WISTA Management GmbH. The award for best poster on a current research topic went to Juliane Scholl, a PhD student at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). In her dissertation, she investigated fluorinated chemicals from lithium-ion batteries that exhibit a similar behaviour as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), so-called eternity chemicals.
Visitor day: Jugend forscht Regional Competition Berlin South
‘Jugend forscht’ is the best-known youth science competition for children and young people between year 4 and age 21 in Germany, encouraging research, invention, and experimentation across seven science and technology categories. WISTA Management GmbH, the operating company of Adlershof Technology Park, has been the sponsoring company for the Berlin South competition round, one of the four Berlin-based regional competitions, since 2011. On February 26, interested parties will have the opportunity to get to know this year's young researchers and their projects at Bunsen Hall, Volmerstrasse 2.
Education initiative for Germany’s chip industry
Securing high-skilled workers for the chip industry—this is the goal of the national flagship project ‘Skilled workers for microelectronics: skills4chips’, which was launched with 12 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in November 2024. A key component is the establishment of a national educational academy for microelectronics and microsystem technology.
The Microtec Academy will address the growing demand for skilled workers with innovative training programmes and is coordinated by the Berlin-based Ferdinand Braun Institute (FBH).
RoboCup Junior Qualifying Tournament
RoboCup Junior is the world’s largest international robotics competition for young people, promoting the STEM subjects: mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and technology. On 25 and 26 January 2025, one of eight qualifying tournaments for the German finals will take place at Rudower Chaussee 17 in Berlin, where students aged 11 to 19 will showcase their robotics skills.
RoboCup Junior in Berlin is supported by Siemens AG and WISTA Management GmbH and is hosted by Modul e. V. – Förderverein Modernes Lehren und Lernen Berlin.
New foot and cycle bridge opens in Adlershof
In November 2024, the new Hilde Archenhold Bridge was officially handed over to the public and now connects the old town centre of Adlershof with the Technology Park Adlershof. The bridge is made purely of aluminium and is the longest of its kind in Berlin at 78 metres. It was planned and built jointly by the Senate Department for Urban Development and Housing and the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment. The project was implemented by the WISTA.Plan development agency.
