Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM22 schoolgirls from Kaiserslautern, Neustadt, Ramstein and Worms took the opportunity to experience a day at the Fraunhofer ITWM on Girls' Day on April 25, 2024. A varied program including a rally showed the participants the range and atmosphere at the world's largest institute for industrial mathematics.
»I Didn’t Know What You Could Do with Math!«
Girls’Day 2024 at the Fraunhofer ITWM
What can I do with math apart from becoming a teacher? Some of the young people aged between 13 and 17 were not even aware of this before Girls' Day. Emely from Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium signed up with very specific motivation: »My goal is to find out whether being a mathematician is a career option for me. I found today really exciting, especially the image processing and detecting objects was surprising for me.« reports the 15-year-old.
Not all of the students had such clearly defined goals, but instead let the event unfold. »Our math teacher was enthusiastic about the institute and suggested that we sign up. However, I couldn't imagine much. But I thought the day was really great.« says Ayah enthusiastically. She is 17 years old and is in tenth grade at St. Franziskus Gymnasium in Kaiserslautern.
Surprising More Than Math and Research
Some of her classmates also followed this teacher's tip, including Leyla: »To be honest, I had imagined Girls' Day here to be much less interesting than it was. I especially loved the driving simulator« says the 16-year-old. The RODOS (RObot based Driving and Operation Simulator) and the work of the »Mathematics for Vehicle Development« department were part of the program, which also took the participants into the basement of the institute under the huge dome. »I didn't even know that there were such big projects at this institute. I was aware that programming is done here – in other words, that computer science and mathematics belong together. But I'm pleased that physics is also in demand, because I have physics as a performance subject next year.« Her career aspirations are not yet certain, but the day also surprised her on another level: »You are all so friendly and open. I feel very comfortable here.«
In addition, mathematicians such as Elisabeth Finhold talked about her own path to Fraunhofer. She made the work of her »Optimization« division more tangible for the students: »In your everyday life, you will encounter some optimization problems, be it when putting away the dishwasher, packing your suitcase or organizing a trip«. Her presentation showed a wide range of mathematical applications and practical projects – from cutting gemstones and organizing duty rosters in hospitals to software for energy management in buildings. »We do mathematics that is really put to use! And we work as a team, creatively and in a variety of ways!«
Emely from Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium has signed up with a very specific motivation: "My aim is to find out whether being a mathematician is an option for me as a career. I found today really exciting, especially the image processing and detecting objects was surprising for me," reports the 15-year-old.
Get to know the »Optimization« division with Elisabeth Finhold. How can Maths help with planning and decision-making problems? How can the best possible solutions be calculated using individual optimization methods? For example, here in the picture when cutting gemstones.
Gemeinsam rätseln bei der Rallye: Ayah, Yeyun und Leyla haben sich gemeinsam angemeldet. Sie gehen in die zehnte Klasse im St. Franziskus Gymnasium.
Solve Puzzles Together at the Rally With Quiz
But it wasn't just specialist projects that were presented to the students; the program also included a tour of the institute and a presentation on career opportunities at the Fraunhofer ITWM.
»I've already been here with the math club, but today I learned even more. I didn't really know all the things you can do with math.« says 16-year-old Yeyun. »As well as the research, the workstations and the atriums are very impressive. I also really liked the quiz. This way, we could solve puzzles together.« In a rally, the young women answered questions together at each station, were rewarded with letters and then received a solution word from the world of the Fraunhofer ITWM. The prize at the end was a bag filled with Fraunhofer surprises.
We hope that Girls'Day at the Fraunhofer ITWM was an unforgettable experience for everyone, which was not only informative, but perhaps also inspiring for future study or career choices.
