On 27 April 2018, the project “MEHRWERT durch mehr Perspektiven” (Added value through added prospects) was inaugurated with an opening ceremony held in the Festsaal (ballroom) at Dülferstrasse. During the event, the three visiting professors who will be staying at TU Dresden during the pilot phase in summer semester 2018, gave short presentations to introduce themselves to the general public. Dr. Waltraud Ernst’s work will contribute to research and teaching at the School of Engineering Sciences, while Dr. Martina Erlemann will be involved at the School of Science and Dr. Geeske Scholz at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“MEHRWERT durch mehr Perspektiven” is a collaborative project conceived by the Gender Equality Commission and the GenderConceptGroup at TU Dresden’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The project aims to include gender and diversity aspects in STEM research, thus developing new initiatives and methodological opportunities at an interdisciplinary level. Beyond the pilot phase, the organisers are already looking to the future and are working on the outline for the follow-up application for 2019 - 2025.

In his opening speech, Prof. Antonio Hurtado (Vice-Rector for University Development, TU Dresden) emphasised the importance of gender equality and diversity aspects at TU Dresden. The welcome address, given by Secretary of State Uwe Gaul (Saxony State Ministry of Science and the Fine Arts), was followed by guest speaker Prof. Britta Schinzel from the “Gendering MINT digital” project in collaboration with the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. Drawing on contemporary history, she took the audience on a tour of new perspectives in computer science, from the punch tape to the cloud.

Dr. Jutta Luise Eckhardt (Project Manager, Gender Equality Commission,TU Dresden) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Horlacher (GenderConceptGroup, TU Dresden) chaired the concluding panel discussion with further guests on the topic of “Gender, Diversity and the University of the Future”.

In addition to their teaching, the three visiting professors will also organise joint workshops and present the results of their stay at a closing event on 25 September 2018.