Girls Day at the LIR - female students gain insights into resilience research

The aim of the so-called Girls Day is to get girls and young women interested in technical and IT professions as well as skilled trades. Women in Germany who are well educated at school still choose an apprenticeship that is not in a scientific or technical field. Corresponding studies show that Girls Day can make an important contribution to attracting young women to these professions. A relevant project that the LIR is very pleased to support.

Insights into resilience research, the research methods used and the contribution that STEM subjects can make were provided to five female students from grades 11-13 from Wiesbaden and Mainz during the Girls' Day at LIR on April 3rd, 2025.

After an introduction to the topic of resilience by Meike Trommer from Platform Transfer, the girls continued on to the institute's laboratories. There, the participants were given an insight into the Mouse Behavioral Unit (MBU), which is led by Professor Dr. Ulrich Schmitt.

The tour concluded with an introduction to analyzing collected data on the computer. Junior Professor Dr. Janina Hesse gave the young researchers an insight into data visualization and showed how mathematical theory can be used to examine research data. She also presented the resulting approaches used in the “Computational Resilience Research” research group.

Mental health in the STEM world

Scientists at the LIR have recently published a review paper on resilience and mental health in STEM subject representatives. The importance of this relevant topic is highlighted, which can be read here.