Grant presentation with State Secretary Susi Möbbeck
Degree programs such as computer science, mechanical engineering, and process engineering continue to be dominated by male students. With the intoMINTgoesLSA project, the Coordination Office for Gender Research and Coordination Office Gender Studies & Equity Saxony-Anhalt (KGC) is working with Anhalt University of Applied Sciences to address this challenge and inspire girls and young women to pursue STEM (MINT) subjects over a three-year period.
On January 31, 2024, State Secretary Susi Möbbeck from the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, and Equality of the State of Saxony-Anhalt presented the grant notification to Professor Korinna Bade, project manager of intoMINTgoesLSA, on the Köthen campus.
The joint project between the Coordination Office for Gender Research and Coordination Office Gender Studies & Equity Saxony-Anhalt (KGC) and Anhalt University of Applied Sciences is funded by the European Social Fund and the state of Saxony-Anhalt with €780,000..
State Secretary Susi Möbbeck said at the announcement: :
"In order to get more girls and young women interested in and attracted to STEM (MINT) careers, we need an extra dose of commitment and innovation. We want to use digital means to gradually break down stereotypes in career choices. The joint goal of the university and the state is to communicate the appeal of STEM careers as early as the career orientation stage. If more girls and young women become enthusiastic about technology, this will help to secure a sustainable supply of skilled workers in this field."
The core element of the project is a smartphone app, the intoMINT app,which is aimed specifically at girls and young women. It includes 140 STEM (MINT) activities designed to spark interest in the subjects while also providing information on career and study options. "The first version of the app was developed as part of a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Now we have the opportunity to build on this and further develop the app," says Professor Korinna Bade, who teaches information management in the Department of Computer Science and Languages at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. The aim is to create further STEM (MINT) activities and new functions, such as a new event system that will make it easier for various players in the field of career and study orientation to use the app for their offerings and better support their users. In addition, the STEM (MINT) activities will be expanded to include regional career prospects for STEM (MINT) professions in Saxony-Anhalt.
In addition to technical development, the use of the app is also to be promoted. In future, there will be a link to the career orientation programme of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the BRAFO initiative. Furthermore, cooperation with regional educational institutions is planned. ‘The aim is to support and expand the use of the intoMINT app in the context of career and study orientation, particularly in Saxony-Anhalt, and to integrate it meaningfully into existing career orientation services,’ says Professor Bade.