The Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) took part in the yearly event “Girls’ Day” on April 23rd to encourage the discussion with interested girls on female careers in science. The girls got a glimpse of how scientists work and learned about career paths in science.

Research group leader Agnes Toth-Petroczy and the two postdoctoral researchers Ina Hollerer and Carlotta Langer discussed their professions in the area of computational biology, molecular biology and mathematics. They addressed questions such as, What is it like to be a scientist? Can you do research while raising a family? Why did you choose to be a scientist? What are your role models? The girls visited the research labs of Eric Geertsma and the Antibody Facility, visited the electron microscopy facility, and the zebrafish facility. The MPI-CBG encourages discussion with interested girls because, even today, female scientists often experience a more challenging time in the science world than their male colleagues.

Girls' Day, an initiative of the Federal Ministries for Education and Research (BMBF) and Family Affairs, the Elderly, Women, and Youth (BMFSFJ), is a German-wide campaign that introduces schoolgirls to a variety of careers and activities. Girls are especially encouraged to pursue technical careers in fields where women are still underrepresented, such as "MINT" (mathematics, engineering, natural sciences, and technology).