Celebrating Girls’ Day 2025 at the SWOPT Coordinator lab
On April 3, 2025, the Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI) welcomed a group of enthusiastic young visitors as part of this year’s Girls’ Day activities.
Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day give students across Germany the chance to explore careers they may not naturally consider. While progress is undeniable, far too many fields remain burdened by outdated and baseless gender labels that unfairly undermine young people’s aspirations, discouraging them from following their vocations.
The gender imbalance is especially visible in STEM disciplines, where women remain underrepresented across science and engineering. And the gap widens dramatically in senior roles such as research group leaders, principal investigators, professors, and management positions. Within the SWOPT consortium, we are fully aware of these challenges and deeply committed to contributing to the change.
As part of this year’s Girls’ Day, the laboratory of Prof. Stiel, coordinator of the SWOPT project, opened its doors to female high‑school students. Our researchers offered an authentic look into everyday scientific work, guiding the students through the lab and sharing insights into what a career in research can look like. They also demonstrated playful and eye‑catching fluorescence experiments, showing that science isn’t just impactful, but can be fun and creative too.
By encouraging curiosity, highlighting real role models, and breaking down long‑standing stereotypes, we aim to spark interest in STEM fields and empower more young women to envision themselves shaping the future of science and technology. And in the end, the benefit is shared by everyone, because diverse work environments are healthier and cultivate the most innovative ideas.
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