Nov 06, 2025

Fall camp for schoolgirls: Research, try things out, meet people

From October 6 to 10, 2025, the TUD Dresden University of Technology's (TUD) fall camp for schoolgirls took place in Schöna. For one week, 17 participants immersed themselves in exciting topics from science and technology.

Hands-on science

In interactive workshops and exciting laboratory visits, the schoolgirls in grades 9-13 were not only able to gain theoretical knowledge, but also experiment and try things out for themselves. They were supported by scientists from various TUD departments, who presented their research in a clear, understandable and enthusiastic way.

The participants attended the following workshops during the week:

Plastics: recycling and manufacturing new components
Together with scientists from the Faculty of Mechanical Science and Engineering, the students learned how new components are made from recycled plastic - and were allowed to try their hand at it themselves. In doing so, they got to know the material plastic better and learned about the circular economy.
How do we charge our cell phones with solar energy?
A circuit was soldered in the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering workshop. Connected to photovoltaic modules, it could actually be used to charge cell phones.
Artificial intelligence and sustainability
At the Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), everything revolved around the question of how AI can help us live more sustainably. The students discussed various issues, tried out simple AI applications and gained insights into a highly topical field of research.
Dyeing fabrics in the LernLaborFarbe
In the LernLaborFarbe of the Chemical Engineering Department, the focus was on experimentation and color design. Colors were extracted from plant roots, fabrics were dyed and color pigments were precipitated.
Building resource-saving bridges and testing their resilience
How does sustainable construction actually work? In the Faculty of Civil Engineering workshop, the students constructed their own bridge models. The structures were then tested for their load-bearing capacity.

Insights into studying and beyond

In addition to the technical program, the focus was also on exchange: students and academics from various engineering courses reported on their everyday life at the university, answered questions about their studies and gave personal insights into their careers. This gave the participants valuable guidance for their own study and career choices.

More than just STEM

The camp offered not only content-related impulses, but also space for new contacts, community and fun. Whether it was the shared lunch break in the canteen, the hike or games evenings - the week was characterized by curiosity and mutual support.

Thanks to sponsors and workshop Advisors

We would like to thank all the workshop Advisors and of course the motivated participants for an inspiring week.

The Fall Camp is an offer of the School Contact Point and the Unit Diversity Management of the TUD and is organized in cooperation with the Economic Development Agency of the district of Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains.

We would like to thank the CeTI Cluster of Excellence, the Gesellschaft von Freunden und Förderern der TU Dresden e. V. and the Barkhausen Institute for sponsoring the camp.