Succession is female! - Prospects for women in science and business

Schoolgirls and female students go on an exciting tour with the BTU successor bus and try their hand at networking. Afterwards, two young female BTU professors will provide insights into their careers in the field of science - both parts of the event offer forward-looking perspectives for women in the structural change of Lusatia.

On the sub-theme "Succession is female - in business" , the "Lausitzer NachfolgeBus" (Lusatian Succession Bus) will take almost 40 female students and pupils from the BTU's central campus to visit a successful female entrepreneur in the construction industry on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 1:30 pm. Corina Reifenstein is a successor in a typically male-dominated sector. She took over the TERPE BAU GMBH company with her husband in 2010 and reports on how she has succeeded in building up the company, which started as the construction brigade of an agricultural cooperative in GDR times, into the largest construction company in the region to date. At the same time, as president of the Cottbus Chamber of Skilled Crafts, she also stands for the importance of skilled crafts and small and medium-sized businesses in the region.

In the STARTBLOCK B2 start-up center, the event will continue at around 3:30 p.m. with the topic "Succession is female - in science". Here, the focus is on the challenges experienced by female scientists in STEM disciplines. Across Germany, about one-third of all professors* at universities are female, while the proportion of female STEM professors is significantly lower. Two recently appointed female BTU professors provide encouragement this afternoon. Prof. Dr. Leen Lambers, Chair of the Department of Practical Computer Science / Software Systems Engineering, thinks it's important "to get girls excited about STEM fields. If the motivation comes from within, then this path is naturally chosen. Role models and mentors are important to strengthen this sense of self-evidence." Joining the panel discussion is Prof. Dr. Inga Fischer, chair of the Department of Experimental Physics and Functional Materials. She says, "STEM subjects in particular offer such great potential for career paths. It's an opportunity that women should take advantage of much more, as it gives them the flexibility to respond to different life situations."

Interested members of the public are cordially invited to a get-together at the STARTBLOCK B2 business incubator on the BTU central campus starting at 3:30 p.m. and to the panel discussion starting at 4:00 p.m. Participation is free of charge and without registration.

For the discussion and for talks are available:

• Manuela Dörnenburg - State Commissioner for Equal Opportunity on "Women in Structural Change
• Linda Brack, founder of Netzwerk # Frauenmacht, on the role of networking and what networking has to do with success.
• Katharina Noatschk, BTU STEM Ambassador, on "female talent in the STEM subjects
• Stefanie Schiemenz, BTU Start-Up Service, on business succession and start-ups
• BTU professors Leen Lambers and Inga Fischer on "Paths to Professorship

Registration for the bus tour and the talk with Corina Reifenstein at: unternehmensnachfolge(at)b-tu.de