‘Inspiring, wonderful women’: bringing Stem to life for girls in Luxembourg

Discovering light-up models of the brain or a replica of a human skeleton, conducting electricity experiments with lemons, trying on a protective suit, or exploring the work of Luxembourg’s police scientifique: the emphasis on the inaugural Young Women’s Conference in Belval this Thursday was on interaction, hands-on activities, and discussion – not handing out pamphlets.

“We’re taking A-levels, and we learned about reconstructive climate change,” said Olivia, a student at St George’s International School , referring to a scientific method used to understand past climatic conditions. “Sometimes you don’t make the connection that what you’re learning about in school is, like, real life. It helps to see someone talk about it here!”

A climate and marine scientist from the University of Washington, Sophie Nuber , presented her research on parameters that control climate change, her analysis of corals in Taiwan and Australia, and the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions from fields in Kenya, showing attendees what scientific research looks like in the field, in the lab, and behind a computer.

“In my geography class, I don’t think they get the real-life, practical element. They’re learning because it’s on the syllabus and they want to pass their exams,” added St George’s teacher Janine Mewha. “When they come to this, they go: ‘Climate change is real and we can do something about it. We can get involved. We’re learning about it in class and we’re enjoying it and we could go on and do a career in it!’ I listened to that first speaker and I went: ‘That’s literally everything I’ve taught my students! Does that lady live in my brain?’ So I really enjoyed it as a teacher.”

Hands-on experiences

Coordinated by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (List) and supported by the National Research Fund (FNR), the Young Women’s Conference Luxembourg aims to inspire and encourage young women to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem).

Through the booths set up at the forum, the nearly 500 attendees – girls aged 12 to 19 who came from all over Luxembourg – were able to meet researchers, talk with scientists and engineers, and get hands-on experience with new technology. Organisations like Geek Girls, WeStem+, Women in Cyber, Engineers Without Borders, List, Scienteens, or the forensic department of Luxembourg’s police force were present to chat with students and offer activities.

Three girls from Sportlycée trying on a bulky fire protection suit said they found the conference inspiring. Both Jill and Ala noted that they found the event “very interesting” thanks to the variety of activities they could test out. But the event also offers these young students female role models and opens up potential career paths that they may not have pursued. “I think it’s very interesting and very important for the future, and for women to be taken seriously,” said Lily.

Interactions with experts

Even students who are not necessarily considering Stem for their future field of study found the forum intriguing. “I’m here with my chemistry class. For me, science is a rather vast and interesting concept,” said Alina , a student in S6 at the European School Luxembourg II in Mamer. Though she admitted that she’s more drawn to philosophy than science, she added: “Looking around, it’s interesting because there are a lot of activities. It’s very jovial and people are really interacting with each other.”

Interaction between professionals and students was a key element of the conference, with a “living library” offering young people the opportunity to chat 1-on-1 with experts on specific topics.

“It was very inspiring. I got to talk with Anuja Lipsa. It was very motivating; she told us her story and how she began her career in cancer research,” said Lorelei, who’s in her last year at Waldorfschoul. “That’s actually not my field of interest – I want to go into social sciences, not Stem – but I just find it really interesting to see different points of views. I still wanted to visit today because I’m very open-minded and wanted to see other people and exchange with them.”

Lipsa, a researcher at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), was similarly positive about her experience on the other side of the living library.

“I was just telling my colleague that I never had this kind of exposure when I was choosing my field, so it’s very motivating to talk with these young people, to tell your experience, to see the excitement in their eyes,” she said. “It also brings a bit of a personal touch, because it’s one thing to read something online or in a book, but to actually meet someone who can tell you the pros and cons and their experience, I feel it’s a very exciting concept. I’m enjoying it!”

‘Being anything, honestly!’

Smaller, more intimate panels also allowed students to ask questions directly to Stem professionals and to get practical information for their future careers.

“For a lot of people, it’s very abstract, like: ‘How do I do science? How do I do a career?’” said Flora, a student at Lycée Michel Lucius who’s interested in helping the environment. “So what inspired me was the concrete explanations like what one does in a day’s work, and how each of these inspiring, wonderful women got to where they are now, and also the amount of different possibilities for jobs. Being a manager, fieldwork, lab work, being anything, honestly!”

Seeing women gathered together, sharing their struggles and experiences, was an illuminating experience for Sunbul, also at Lycée Michel Lucius. “I want to become a pilot, and it was really nice to see how other people figured out what they want to do in their career. Someone mentioned they wanted to be a pilot but they couldn’t because of the circumstances – and now it’s more possible than it was before. I really enjoyed it and I was really inspired!”

Nabiha emphasised how excited she was to hear from women in male-dominated fields. “I want to be a computer scientist, and I feel like that’s a big ladder to climb,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see everybody expressing their ambitions and their goals.”

Not just for ‘old white guys’

The conference follows a model set up by the science education department at Princeton University.

Alexandros Gerakis, head of group at the List, previously worked at Princeton and was inspired to bring the format here to Luxembourg. Initially, the organisers expected to gather 200 or 300 students; nearly 500 attended.

“It’s been a great success. For the first year, it’s fantastic!” he said. “The idea was to really expose them to careers that they thought were not them – Stem careers that they thought were for old white guys like me, but not for them. So now they can see other female scientists who share their experiences, and can see career opportunities from different companies. The idea is not just leaflet distribution, but to interact and engage.”

“I’ve been trying to expand for a long time, and to see that it’s actually happened – in real life – is a dream come true,” explained Deedee Ortiz , senior programme manager at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. “They’ve done an amazing job and have taken it way farther than I ever would have thought. I’m taking some ideas home!”

For organiser Hanna Siemaszko, the event was about “bringing science, technology, engineering, and math to life through the people who live it.” “The message is clear: Stem careers aren’t for one type of person. They’re for everyone.”

Will the conference be back next year? “Yes – if there’s funding!”