BUT motivates girls to study engineering. They spent a day at FME and FEEC

The event "togetHER in tech", held at Brno University of Technology in late April, showed that technology is a great choice for girls too. The goal of the event was to increase high school girls’ interest in technical studies and to support them in the belief that women absolutely have a place in engineering fields.

High school girls at BUT were discovering their technical potential. | Author: Václav Koníček

Female students from the 1st to 4th year of high school had the chance to discover their technical potential and get a glimpse into university life at two of Brno University of Technology’s faculties – the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication. The program, attended by a total of sixteen girls, aimed through presentations and workshops to motivate participants to take interest in physical engineering, semiconductor technologies, and other related fields.

“Why technology? Modern technologies are the future, and it's great to be part of their development. I believe that experiencing our university firsthand, with everything that comes with it, can play an important role in girls' decisions about their future studies,” explained event organizer and CEITEC BUT doctoral student Katarína Rovenská.

They explored studies at FEEC and FME. | Author: Václav Koníček

Technology is for Everyone

In the morning part of the program, the high school girls met with female students and graduates of BUT, who shared their experiences of working in technical fields. The discussion touched on their motivation for choosing a technical education, their job roles, and how they balance demanding studies or work with personal life. “I was motivated by my dad, who is a great physicist and mathematician, but I certainly didn't inherit any miraculous genes. You don’t have to be Sheldon Cooper to study science,” joked Petra Kalousková, a student and ambassador of the Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology program at FME.

Several female scientists also spoke about experiences such as pregnancy or motherhood, which temporarily interrupted their scientific careers. All of them confirmed, however, that it is possible to combine a technical career with children and family life. For example, Lucie Závorková, a graduate of FME and currently a semiconductor board manufacturing technologist at onsemi, continues to work even while on maternity leave.

“Technology is for absolutely everyone, and if you enjoy it, don’t let anything stop you – go for it,” encouraged doctoral student Veronika Stará from CEITEC BUT.

High school girls have received a number of recommendations regarding the study of technology. | Author: Václav Koníček

Hands-On with Technology

To help the girls better understand what university studies are really like, they also attended part of a physics lecture led by Professor Jiří Spousta. “I really liked the lecture. I wouldn’t have minded attending the whole class,” said one of the participants.

They attended a physics class. | Author: Katarína Rovenská

The rest of the program was dedicated to workshops that showcased various aspects of science. At the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, the girls tried simple interactive programming, where they animated a small robot named Tobbie, and worked with electrical circuits, which they assembled using prepared diagrams and tested for functionality.

They tried their hand at programming. | Author: Václav Koníček

At the Institute of Physical Engineering of FME, they engaged in advanced physics experiments, diving into topics like electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spectral refractometry. They observed the photoelectric effect, Millikan’s experiment, and characterized solar cells.

And they also discovered the field of microscopy. | Author: Václav Koníček

At the end of the event, the girls donned special protective suits and entered the clean rooms of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, where they explored vacuum apparatuses for the production and characterization of nanolayers. “I liked how dynamic the program was and that we got to try different things. It was very interesting,” commented one high school student with an interest in technical fields.

According to organizer Katarína Rovenská, the girls most appreciated the authenticity of the event. “Many thanks go to all the students, graduates, and staff from the IPE FME and UMEL FEEC who took part in the program and helped make the event happen. I'm glad we were able to show the participants what technology at BUT is really like,” she concluded.

You can view how the individual workshops went in the gallery.