Gender Equality
Gender equality and family-friendly policies are an important part of CRC ‘’Bulk Reaction’’ and special attention is continuously paid to gender equality by all PIs, postdocs, PhDs and students. Targeted measures are used to promote equal opportunities for men and women. Networking opportunities, workshops, discussion rounds, soft skill seminars and professional trainings are offered. The activities are backed up by the strong partner universities and their gender equality structures that are established to promote women in academia, e.g. equal opportunity offices at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Ruhr University Bochum and Christian Albrechts University Kiel .
Female Scientist
PhD Candidates
Ruhr University Bochum
Institute For High-frequency Systems
Universitätsstraße 150, ID-04/354
44780 Bochum
Tel: +49 234 32-26494
Email:
francesca.schenkel
@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamic
Universitätsplatz 2, G03-213
39106 Magdeburg
Tel: +49 391 67-58198
Email: tanya.neeraj@ovgu.de
Ruhr University Bochum
Department of Energy Plant Technology
Universitätsstraße 150, IC-2/107
44780 Bochum
Tel: +49 234 32-26324
Email: hilse@leat.rub.de
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics
Universitätsplatz 2, G14-5
39106 Magdeburg
Tel: +49 391 67-52336
Email: christin.velten@ovgu.de
Ruhr University Bochum
Institute For Experimental Physics
Universitätsstraße 150, NB-2/69
44780 Bochum
Tel: +49 234 32-23546
Email: joppotsch@ep1.rub.dee
Workshops & Events
During this lunch lecture, Dr. Sarah Czerney and Dr. Lena Eckert gave an insight into their books.
Sarah Czerney, Lena Eckert, Silke Martin (2022) Mutterschaft und Wissenschaft in der Pandemie: (Un-)Vereinbarkeit zwischen Kindern, Care und Krise, Verlag Barabara-Budrich-Verlag, ISBN: 978-3-8474-2654-7.
Sarah Czerney, Lena Eckert, Silke Martin (2020) Mutterschaft und Wissenschaft: Die (Un-) Vereinbarkeit von Mutterbild und wissenschaftlicher Tätigkeit, Springer Verlag, ISBN: 978-3658309312.
In order to explore the tension between parenthood, motherhood, other unpaid care work and science. After the lecture, participants had the opportunity for discussion.
Further reading:
Sarah Czerney, Lena Eckert, Silke Martin (Hg.): Mutterschaft und Wissenschaft in der Pandemie. (Un-)Vereinbarkeit zwischen Kindern, Care und Krise. Budrich: 2022
“Nähkästchen extended: Netzwerk Mutterschaft und Wissenschaft” – Podcast from University of Hamburg
“KARRIERE NUR OHNE KINDER?” – Interview with rbb kultur
“Ungleichheit bei Unikarrieren: Forscherinnen durch Pandemie benachteiligt” – Report in Tagesspiegel
Speaker
Dr. Sarah Czerney and Dr. Lena Eckert (Netzwerk Mutterschaft und Wissenschaft)
The workshop addressed gender appropriate candidate assessment during recruitment processes. It presented strategies and good-practice examples on how to avoid gender bias within the recruiting process based on equal treatment of all applicants. Established approaches at both universities were discussed and evaluated with regard to opportunities for improvement.
Speaker
Dr. Steffi Nothnagel (Diversity Consulting)
Strategies to reconcile family and professional life
The workshop analyzed and discussed the results of the evaluation conducted in summer 2022 within the CRC. The positive results were highlighted (e.g. the top working climate), areas for improvement were identified (e.g. impact of high workload on family care responsibilities) and strategies to further improve the work-life balance of the members of the CRC were discussed. Examples are the strengthening of researchers, especially with care responsibilities, in the face of the continuous blur of lines between work and free time; or the efficient use of free time for regeneration. Existing differences between male and female researchers were thereby addressed.
Speaker
Dr Melanie Kintz
Gender and Diversity Consultant
Otto von Guericke University
Based on the results of the evaluation conducted in summer 2022 in the CRC, this workshop discussed the positive aspects of the evaluation and identified areas for improvement. Special room was given to the possibilities of using DFG funds to promote intercultural competencies or gender sensitive team work.
Speaker
Dr Melanie Kintz
Gender and Diversity Consultant
Otto von Guericke University
On April 28, 2022 high school students visited Otto von Guericke University in the frame of “Girls and boys day – Future day”. As part of her research in the Collaborative Research Center CRC-TRR 287 Bulk Reaction, Dr. Nicole Vorhauer-Huget took the high school students on a tour through the laboratories, the technical hall and a lecture hall. Afterwards, she introduced them to the work with a physical computing platform. The students could experience to build and program a small measuring device for temperature and humidity measurement. Both variables are of great importance for processes, such as studied within the CRC.
Visit to a pilot plant where particle systems are studied on an intermediate scale.
How does a typical scientist look like? What is a leaky pipeline? How can the differences between female and male researchers be quantified? The documentary film illustrates the situation of US female scientists who work in STEM fields and their experiences with discrimination, sexism and racism in the year 2020. The documentation of the still difficult situation of women in the STEM field was used as a base for discussion between the participants after the movie.
The online workshop was used to exchange ideas between the three partner universities. Core of the discussion was the improvement of future job advertisements in order to become more attractive, especially for women. Subjects for improvement and respective possible strategies were presented.
Speakers
Dr. Anette Hoeschen (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg)
The workshop “Shall I do a PhD?” took place online on November 4, 2021. Female students, majorly from the field of process engineering, attended the workshop. It had the aim to identify and evaluate the individual personal situation as a starting point for an academic career. Female speakers from the CRC gave a general introduction about the various possibilities of doctorates in Germany, research institutes, work environment, different kinds of work contracts, etc. Special attention was thereby paid to doctorates within a Collaborative Research Center, such as the CRC Bulk Reaction. Dr. Barbara Witter presented the Graduate Academy of the OVGU and Dr. Amanda Dunkel-Grimus held an online workshop for the interested students, with a major focus on reflection and analysis of the personal situation.
Speakers
Dr. Nicole Vorhauer-Huget (Postdoc at Otto von Guericke University)
M.Sc. Afrin Merchant (PhD within the SFB)
Dr. Barbara Witter (Graduate Academy Otto von Guericke University)
Dr. Amanda Dunkel-Grimus (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Dr. Melanie Kintz (Gender Consulting Otto von Guericke University)
The workshop had the aim to provide an overview about gender equality measures in other European countries as a starting point for the advancement of their own work. Athena SWAN was selected because it is already established in several countries, also outside Europe, and it is recognized as a successful tool with a significant impact on a high professional level.
Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) is a framework and accreditation system in the UK, established for the promotion of careers of women in the STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine) field. It is conceptualized to celebrate good practice in higher education and research institutions with the central goal to achieve better work environments.
The speakers introduced the principles of the Athena SWAN charter, presented examples from their universities and discussed their own experiences.
Speakers
Dr. Melanie Kintz (Gender Consulting Otto von Guericke University)
Prof. Berend van Wachem (Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg)
Prof. Moira Dean (Queen’s University Belfast)
Dr. Charikleia Charoula Tzanakou (Oxford Brookes University)
https://www.vst.ovgu.de/Ladies+Night/Retrospektive/Ladies+Night+2021.html
How unconscious thought patterns influence our working world.
The workshop was conceptualized to strengthen the social competences of the PIs, postdocs and students of the CRC. As unconscious biases are independent of gender, nationality or age, the topic was addressed to everyone. The participants learned based on illustrative examples how biases are formed by the unconscious “sieving” and sorting of information. Strategies to overcome biases and to avoid unintentional discrimination were presented and discussed, e.g. by changing the perspectives, avoiding established processes, breaking out of habits, leaving the comfort zone, making new experiences and determining biases.
The workshop was held by a team from EAF Berlin which is a non-profit organization. The participants gave a very positive feedback.
Further Link
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Illona Rolfes
Ruhr University Bochum
Tel: +49 234 32-27383
Email: ilona.rolfes@rub.de
Dr.-Ing. Nicole Vorhauer-Huget
Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Tel: +49 391 67-51684
Email: nicole.vorhauer@ovgu.de
The aim of the DFG funing for gender initiative is to promote a family-friendly working environment.
The major focus is on personnel or scientific researchers with caring responsibilities.
For further information please visit the websites links below:
