After a brief introduction on the meaning and purpose of the VDE Institute and information about the many different activities that can be undertaken here, participants were able to look over the shoulder of employees in the technical department during a tour. Nina Stapf from the marketing team talked about her education as a programmer and the myriad of ways in which the knowledge acquired there can be used in day-to-day work. At the chemistry laboratory, Sara Jobi demonstrated how to professionally disassemble electric devices to take samples that are then tested for forbidden substances. In the test kitchen, Anja Nagel demonstrated how the energy efficiency of ovens and steam cookers can be determined using stones and real food. Dragana Zdravkovic-Stojanovic, a tester at the laboratory for lamps, explained to students that they as women should not be afraid to choose a profession that is perceived as a typical job for men: "Women can do anything!"
To keep it from becoming too theoretical for the girls and to demonstrate that they should not be afraid of getting their hands dirty when it comes to electrical engineering, they were able to build their own circuit in the E-LAB Live hands-on laboratory. After diligently soldering and screwing, each of them had their own personal VDE guardian angel with a thermometer.
Girls’ Day has been a staple in the VDE Institute’s calendar for the past ten years. Getting girls excited about electrical engineering is an important matter for the entire VDE. At the Hannover Messe, which took place in parallel, women and girls had priority at E-LAB Live and other activities at the VDE booth.
