Boys' Day: New Horizons for Young Men in Germany

Yesterday was not only Girl's Day, but also Bay's Day. First introduced in 2011 in follows the thought of gender Equality and acknowledges that there are also vocational fields dominated by female workers and seldom seen as career options for male jobseekers.

It’s a well-known fact that women are underrepresented in many STEM professions, but it turns out that societal expectations can go both ways: while a girl may shy away from a technical career because it is not perceived as “feminine” enough, boys may avoid many jobs traditionally held by women for fear of not seeming “manly”. Enter Boys’ Day, a German initiative that aims to introduce boys from grade 5 to 10 to skilled professions less commonly practiced by men.

Image source: gfairchild via flickr

One Small Step for Boy-kind…
Did you know that more than half of all male teenagers choose to pursue less than 20 careers [1]? Interestingly, these careers skew heavily toward technical work, such as being a car mechanic, and almost none have a social, caring-oriented focus. In a country with an aging population such as Germany, this is a serious problem. When entering the Boys' Day program, boys can choose from a list of 30 different professions to try out. Some of these “rare” professions for young men are also linked to (neuro)science. For example, boys can try out being a biologist, psychologist, nurse, or health researcher.

Future Payoff?
Since the program started in 2011, more than 194,000 boys have taken part in the program in Germany [1]. As the program is younger than Girls’ Day, it’s still hard to tell whether the impact will be as great. However, judging by success stories on the website [1], many young men have found their way into non-traditional careers that they turn out to love.
Working in life sciences means a challenging, but ultimately rewarding life. No-one should have to miss out on the opportunity to do science because of tradition or societal expectations! Boys’ Day serves as an important reminder that building a diverse scientific community means confronting our expectations about both men and women.

Many important jobs are not seen as "manly"
Boys’ Day takes place this year at the same time as Girls’ Day, on April 27^th.
For more information, please visit https://www.boys-day.de/

by Constance Holman, PhD Student AG Schmitz

[1] http://bit.ly/2kDGVUn

Girls' Day – Future Prospects for Girls

Tomorrow is Girl's Day in Germany and many other countries! A great opportunity for young girls to peek into jobs that are not typical "female jobs".

On Girls' Day, female students from grades 5 to 10 can get an insight into vocational fields that girls seldom consider as careers. Primarily technical enterprises, companies with technical departments and technical training facilities, universities, and research centers organize an open day for girls.
On average, girls have better grades than boys [1]. Still, in scientific or technical study programs and professions such as engineering or computer sciences, females represent the minority. Girls' Day encourages schools, media and employers to change their common attitudes towards vocational orientation.

In 2001, the first Girls' Day was initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The idea came from the American “Take Our Daughters To Work Day”, in which since 1993 schoolgirls in the US visit the workplace of their parents or acquaintances for a day.

Girls' Day Is Effective
Since then, Girls' Day has become the largest career orientation project for female students. In 2016, nearly 9,600 institutions offered about 100,000 places for female students.
The vocational choices of girls are influenced in a very positive way. For companies, Girls' Day has evolved as an important instrument of their recruitment policy. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in female professionals in technical fields. Now, the growth in employment of women is stronger than that of men in almost all scientific and technical professions.
Want some solid numbers? 40% of the girls would like to do an internship or get training in one of the participating companies. 33% of the participating organizations get applications for internships from women who participated in Girls' Day as a student. One in every five participating organizations ends up employing female candidates [2]!  

International Girls' Day
Meanwhile, Girls' Day takes place in more than twenty different countries, among them many in Europe, but also Japan and South Korea, and more recently Ethiopia and Egypt.
For more information, visit http://www.girls-day.de

[1] Voyer and Voyer, Psychol Bull, 2014
[2] www.girls-day.de

By Claudia Willmes, PhD Student AG Eickholt / AG Schmitz

At the Interface Between Medicine, Communication, and Business

With an impressive curriculum including a MD, PhD, and MBA, Shari Langemak has been Editorial Director at the German branch of Medscape for 3 years now. Medscape is an international online magazine that offers information and media resources on a wide range of medical topics destined for healthcare professionals. In addition to this, Shari is also a public speaker at conferences, and a coach for startups, especially in the field of digital health. We sat down to talk to her about how she got here, her thoughts on diversity in tech and much, much more.

What is your role at Medscape?
I am responsible for the production of medical content that enables physicians to stay up to date with their specialty. I work with science writers, medical experts and colleagues from all over the world. Regular discussions with all of them are crucial, as we need to identify the biggest topics in medicine and to stay updated on the latest findings in research. My job also includes quite a bit of traveling, as we make videos with key opinion leaders at international congresses.

Shari Langemak, Editorial Director at Medscape Germany

 How did you get into this field? Why did you decide not to follow medical practice or research?
I appreciated my medical studies a lot, but from the very beginning I felt very intrigued by the entire healthcare industry and was curious about innovation, both medical and technological. I realized quickly that a role in journalism would enable me to understand the healthcare system on a meta level. Somewhat randomly, I got an internship at Axel Springer, wrote quite a lot of articles about topics in medicine for Die Welt and Welt am Sonntag, and continued working as a freelance journalist in addition to my medical studies and my PhD.

"Journalism enables you to get a broader understanding of the healthcare system"

Journalism is very interesting, because you keep up with all the different topics out there. You get a broader understanding of the healthcare system, and you meet many people. So it was a very cool job to do while being a student. After finishing my medical degree, my freelance activity paid off, and I started working as an editor for Die Welt. This was definitely exciting – going from a clinical career to a big media corporation where I had a completely different life!

And when did you do the MBA?
I did my MBA in parallel to my current job at Medscape, as I really like to challenge myself. My main goal is to understand the healthcare system from all the different aspects and stakeholders’ points of view, especially from an entrepreneurial and an economic perspective. I aim to play an active part in the innovation lifecycle. But I realized that without business knowledge, this would not be possible.
I already had the medical and the research point of view, and then journalism, which allowed me to talk to a lot of people from different areas in healthcare. But especially because I work with startups a lot (I am a startup mentor and speak about what the healthcare system might look like in the future), I should know the basic principles of business, finance, and entrepreneurship. So the MBA was a great opportunity for me to catch up with that. I think I now have a broad view of the healthcare system.

What do you like the most about your job?
I like that I can learn about many different topics in medicine. And I love working internationally. And building a product in the German market, while working with very insightful colleagues. I also really like our company culture. We have many women working at Medscape, and they are really tough and smart.

What are some of the challenges of your job?
Media is a tough field, with lots of competition. It’s really hard to get the attention of the reader in a digital world, where everything is so quick. It’s not like you stay at home on a Sunday and read the newspaper anymore. There is so much distraction and information, and competition for the reader’s attention. Also, it is challenging to keep up with the innovation in digital health across the globe. The industry is rapidly evolving, which – to be honest – is also incredibly rewarding.

The world of technology is very male-dominated. Have you gone through any difficulties for being a woman, or experienced inequality?
No, quite the opposite. I'm invited to be a speaker quite often, being a young female, so I cannot say I have a disadvantage. I think people want to hear more diverse opinions, different perspectives. I also see a growing number of women who are founders in the startup scene, including health-tech. I believe that the male domination has other reasons. Many women, or rather girls, maybe pursue the wrong career path because they don’t know that they make great engineers, programmers, and entrepreneurs.

"I personally was a little nerd child"

During school and university we are told that women are not good at tech. I personally was a little nerd child. I used to game, I built my own computer... So I was always around many males. I learned a lot by just playing and being around friends with the same interests – that’s the best way to learn and pick your interests for your career later.

Can you tell us about the Startup Bootcamp where you are a mentor?
It’s an accelerator. Startup Bootcamp helps startups to grow by empowering entrepreneurs with knowledge and network. Many mentors from different areas do this type of work. I coach startups on digital health. I help them with market access, understanding how each player in the health industry thinks, product design, identifying which regulatory challenges they might face – as there are plenty. Many startups are international and want to grow a product in Germany, so they don’t know which problems may come up here.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were in university? What would the current Shari tell the student Shari?
Everything is possible! It’s not because you chose one field of study that you will eventually end up in this specific field of work. But it’s also not as if it comes to you. You have to define your path and build your own brand. You should think early in your studies where you want to be, and many options are possible. You have to think about what makes you happy and get an inside view of the job you would like to do, so that you can actually see what it is like – by doing internships, talking to people… And if you still like it, perfect. Then you should think: what do I need to do to get there? Or what kind of skills would this future employer like to see? And then work on these. Academia is one thing, but especially if you want to move into a different field, you need very specific and practical skills. And while you are still studying, you can start developing some of them.

"You have to define your path and build your own brand"

Interview by Mariana Cerdeira, PhD Student, AG Harms
This article originally appeared March 2017 in "Diversity in Neuroscience"

Barrier-Free Science: Designing a Smarter Lab?

Low wages, strange hours, the pressure to publish or perish… There are many barriers that prevent people from pursuing careers in science, and one can hardly blame them. However, there are some types of barriers that should never prevent a person from being a scientist. This article will discuss legal and design-based strategies that help make traditional laboratory environments accessible for everyone.

In Germany, many people will be familiar with the term “Barrierefrei”, which refers to the design of spaces to accommodate individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities. This policy is enshrined in German federal law for all workspaces, with other special laws concerning areas such as air travel or public transit [1]. The most obvious examples are the availability of wheelchair ramps or elevators for those with mobility issues, but the law actually extends to a lot more subtle adjustments. For example, there is a special emphasis on communications design, for example, labels that contain large print or Braille for the visually impaired [1].

Open and Inclusive Design
Much of the philosophy of building in this way comes from the Universal Design movement, first described by the architect Ronald R. Mace in the 1960s. This movement, and the closely related Design for All, promotes the creation of spaces that are useable for as many individuals as possible, irrespective of their age or ability [2]. Despite this one-size-fits-all principle, special thought is also put into creating designs for adaptive/assistive technology that is also aesthetically pleasing, flexible in use, and that has a high error tolerance.

BARRIER-FREE MEANS MORE THAN 

ELEVATORS AND RAMPS

 

How can we imagine a lab environment that embraces universal design? For Bradley Duerstock, director of the Institute of Accessible Science, biomedical engineer and wheelchair user, it’s all about flexibility and communication. For “hands-on” experience in a lab, it’s critical to have a PI who is willing to engage with their student or employee with a disability and understand their needs [3]. Some fixes may be relatively simple, for example, using different high-contrast dye and special lighting to help an individual with a vision impairment perform and analyze Western Blots. Duerstock himself invented one of the first microscopes that allows the user to operate all controls through a computer interface rather than manipulating small knobs.
However, some aspects of the lab environment are more difficult to change. While legislation mandates that workspaces need to comply with all employees’ needs, it can still be difficult to find funding to cover these costs [3,4,6]. Can a lab be retrofitted with new lab benches or lowered sinks? What about more basic safety concerns, such as accessibility of fire extinguishers or eye wash stations? How about a fire alarm that incorporates visual, as well as auditory cues? Unfortunately, the Universally Designed lab still seems to be far away.

Image source: Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons

Challenges and Progress
A quick look at my own workspace, the brand new and tremendously expensive [5] Charité Cross Over building reveals a number of shortcomings limiting the labs’ use for individuals with disabilities. Between electrical and gas outlets at ceiling level, heavy doors with impractical handles and a literal barrier that one has to climb over to enter the animal facility, it is clear that accessibility was not the architects’ first priority.
It is well documented that individuals with disabilities are less likely to be employed than their non-disabled counterparts, but it seems that some progress in STEM professions is being made. For example, a 2014 report from King’s College London found that the number of undergraduates in STEM with a self-reported disability has increased by 70% since 2010 [6]. The report credits this increase to programs that provide government funding to help students gain access to support such as assistive technology and sign language interpreters. Money works, but gains for graduate students and full-time STEM professionals in the report were far more modest. How much can be credited to a time lag, and how much to the sometimes inflexible nature of hands-on lab research?

Thinking Barrierefrei
We cannot renovate and retrofit the entire Charité overnight, but the first step to building a barrierefrei scientific community is simple awareness of the space around us. Next time you go about your daily work in the lab, think about how the design of your tools and space influences the way that you do science. What sorts of barriers, both tangible and intangible could conceivably exist, and what can you do about them? Use your scientific imagination and do some problem-solving. Design matters, especially for purposes of inclusion and diversity.

BE AWARE OF THE SPACE AROUND YOU

Want to find out more about specific policies in place at Charité, or how you can get involved in re-thinking scientific spaces? Be sure to check out the Office for Individuals with Disabilities (Gesamtschwerverhindertenvertretung) [7]!

by Constance Holman, PhD Student AG Schmitz

[1] http://bit.ly/2kgKSR1
[2] http://bit.ly/1PCAyL8
[3] http://bit.ly/2jHPmfY
[4] Brown, Nature, 2016
[5] http://bit.ly/2kEsyxR
[6] http://bit.ly/2kgAUPO
[7] http://bit.ly/2kBWxHm

Proof of Competence: Recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications in Germany

Not only women face discrimination, there are several minorities in science who do struggle to get recognition. One group is refugees trying to make it in Germany.

Many of us have done it before - packed up our lives into boxes and suitcases. Perhaps we even made a carefully thought-out checklist. What do we need to be able to start over someplace new? Passport, birth certificate, vaccination cards, high school and university diplomas. Everything neatly tucked into plastic folders. Leaving your life behind is always hard, but preparation softens the blow.
Very few refugees get that opportunity. They are often forced to leave even the most basic documentation behind. And when they arrive where they intend to rebuild their lives, they need proof that they’re good at something that can make them a living. Almost a third of refugees in Germany have some kind of formal qualification, including vocational training and university degrees [1]. 

Source: Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 2016 Report on the Recognition Act

The issue is particularly relevant for Germany, not just because it took in a record number of refugees recently, but because the country is in dire need of workers [2]. With an aging population and one of the world’s lowest birthrates, expediting the recognition of foreigners’ qualifications has been seen as an opportunity. According to a report, 78% of applicants received full recognition of their qualifications in 2016 [3]. 

Germany is in dire need of workers.

It turns out the key to making it work is to instill some flexibility into the process. In Germany, individualized evaluation schemes (“skills analyses”) are put in motion when documents are missing. These include face-to-face meetings with advisors and trial working periods, organized through the federal government's “Integration through Qualification” network [4]. Other resources include an online tool (and a smartphone app), available in eight languages, that allows people to search for information about qualification recognition [5].
“Regulated” professions such as doctors, lawyers, and teachers are harder to have recognized without formal proof of education, training, and relevant competences. Procedures for these professions are stringent and vary widely from state to state, with authorities emphasizing the need for more standardization. 

by Ahmed Khalil, PhD Student AG Fiebach

[1] http://bit.ly/2kF0470
[2] http://bit.ly/2jBBdTO 
[3] http://bit.ly/2kIf87T 
[4] http://bit.ly/2khq1g4 
[5] http://bit.ly/2khkUwy