Closing the STEM Gap

MINT — this German acronym signifies the disciplines Mathematik-Informatik-Naturwissenschaften-Technik, and its English equivalent is STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Johannes Kretzschmar, the director of the Jena-based Lichtwerkstatt, is convinced that STEM is exciting and cool, and he wants to convey this enthusiasm to others. He and his colleagues Canan Gallitschke and Dr. Theresia Palenta are particularly focused on engaging young women. Women remain underrepresented in most STEM fields, and the team aims to create new opportunities for them early on. The key to this effort is the Lichtwerkstatt Makerspace at the Abbe Center of Photonics—an open creative space for tinkerers and innovators which first opened its doors to the public in 2017. Over the coming three years, the project “Hands-on! The MINT Makerspace” will be implemented here. The ambitious goal is to attract 1,000 young women to participate in workshops and exciting STEM projects at the intersection of research, igniting a lasting passion for STEM. Through hands-on experiences and eureka moments, more young women should make an informed decision to pursue a STEM field in their studies and careers. This project should therefore help close the STEM gap: currently, there is a deficit of more than 150,000 STEM professionals in the German job market. For this reason, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (German acronym: BMBF) is funding the project with a total of € 557,000.

A Playground for Creativity

“We want to offer activities that appeal to young women without immediately labeling them as technology or physics,” says Johannes Kretzschmar. The director of the Lichtwerkstatt envisions activities like cosplay: the creative and technical transformation into comic or manga characters. One possible workshop could allow participants to enhance their self-designed costumes with sound and lighting effects. The technical implementation of these effects would take place at the Lichtwerkstatt, providing a playful and engaging introduction to technological and physical subjects. In general, the Lichtwerkstatt fosters a broad spectrum of creativity, says Kretzschmar. “Once our laser cutter is up and running, a whole world of possibilities opens up for creative minds,” Kretzschmar explains. Whether it’s engraving designs or crafting complex objects, the laser cutter offers a playground for experimenting with different materials. This hands-on experimentation is central to the project. “Our makerspace is a large innovation lab where teenage inventors are just as welcome as grandfathers looking to expand their model train sets,” Kretzschmar adds. To bring momentum to “Hands-on! The MINT Makerspace”, the project has already partnered with schools, clubs, museums, research institutes, businesses, and extracurricular learning centers. The workshops and activities are open to both girls and boys, with a focus on inclusivity—reaching young people from diverse backgrounds and educational paths. While not every participant may go on to study a STEM subject, the project can be considered a success if it manages to spark curiosity about the vast world of natural science.

Inspiring a Passion for Physics Through Role Models

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding “Hands-on! The MINT Makerspace” as part of its guideline: "Increasing the Proportion of Women in the STEM Research and Innovation Process: Empowering Self-Efficacy, Initiative, and Creativity (Mission STEM: Women Shaping the Future)". As part of this goal, the project actively introduces young participants to inspiring role models. “We want to involve female entrepreneurs, PhD students, and university students in our workshops and courses,” says Canan Gallitschke. People who are passionate about STEM are the best-equipped to pass that enthusiasm on to the next generation.