Girls’Day und Boys’Day at the LIR – Students Gain Insights into Resilience Research
The nationwide event on April 23, 2026, is designed to provide career guidance for students starting in the 5th grade. Female students have the opportunity to learn about professions in which women have historically been underrepresented. Conversely, male students gain insights into career fields where the proportion of male trainees or students is comparatively low.
Nine female students aged 15 to 17 from Mainz and the surrounding area, guided by Prof. Dr. Janina Hesse, junior research group leader at the LIR, gained insights into resilience research, the methods used in this field, and the role of STEM subjects as a foundation for a career in this area as part of Girls’ Day. Following an introductory workshop on resilience led by Meike Trommer of the Transfer Platform, they visited the Biomedical Research Center on the campus of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. There, the students had the opportunity to learn about the Mouse Behavioral Unit (MBU), led by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schmitt. In addition, they received an introduction to the computer-assisted analysis of collected data. Prof. Dr. Janina Hesse and Manuela Beyer, a research assistant and doctoral student in the Hesse research group, provided insights into data visualization and demonstrated how research data can be analyzed using mathematical models. They also presented approaches used in the Computational Resilience Research group.
As part of Boys’ Day, guided by Dr. Jan Broll, a research associate in the Lieb group, two students were given the opportunity to learn about the work of a psychologist at a research institute. The 13- and 14-year-olds were introduced to typical stressors and taught strategies for stress management and strengthening personal resilience. They also learned how stress is measured and how the corresponding measurement data is analyzed.
With two fully booked events, the LIR considers this year’s event a complete success and looks forward to contributing to career orientation for students again next year.
