Release from
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology once again took part in the 25th Vienna Daughters’ Day, inviting around 30 girls from upper secondary school classes to AIT on 23 April for a journey into the world of science and research.
Under the motto “Discover your Future”, AIT opened its doors. In this anniversary year of Daughters’ Day, the young visitors were once again treated to a particularly exciting and varied programme focusing on STEM research (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). “Daughters’ Day at AIT is a fantastic opportunity to show girls just how diverse everyday working life in research can be. Moving away from traditional gender stereotypes, we show that young girls and women have every opportunity in the world. At AIT, we have a great many female researchers in the STEM field who are also taking part in Daughters’ Day today,” emphasized AIT Managing Director and Spokesperson of the Management Board Brigitte Bach, who is herself a trained physicist. “I’m delighted that you enjoy science and technology. And perhaps today’s visit to us at AIT is also a chance to discover that research is a truly wonderful field of work,” said Bach in her welcome address to the girls.
Quantum Research and the City of the Future
During their visit to the AIT Photonics and Quantum Laboratory at the AIT Center for Digital Safety & Security, the girls had the opportunity to explore various aspects of quantum research. How does a fibre optic cable work? What can you do with optical technologies such as LiFi (Light Fidelity) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)? These questions were answered at demonstration stations in the quantum laboratory. Highlight: Each participant was able to have the diameter of a hair measured in micrometers.
The topic “City of the Future”, presented by the AIT Center for Innovation, Systems & Policy, proved very popular. Together with AIT expert Dana Wasserbacher, they discussed which issues are important in urban development and what the pupils’ wishes and expectations are in this regard. They also learnt how research can support policymakers in their decision-making.
From industrial automation to molecular diagnostics
Experts from the AIT Center for Vision, Automation & Control presented a focus on automation in industry and mobility. The schoolgirls gained detailed insights into how autonomous machines and vehicles, such as forklift trucks, work – and what is already technically possible today. Research is also being conducted into smaller-scale applications where autonomous vehicles or digital mobility concepts improve efficiency. For instance, AIT has developed an autonomous wheelchair solution that offers air passengers with reduced mobility a new level of independence and safety, whilst simultaneously making airport processes significantly more efficient.
During a visit to the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at the AIT Center for Health & Bioresources, AIT researcher Manuela Hofner demonstrated the modern analytical capabilities that now enable diseases to be precisely identified and characterized at the molecular level, and therapies to be personalized. In this AIT laboratory, every step from cell culture to the isolation, processing, detection and quantification of various biomolecules (nucleic acids and proteins) from a wide range of biological samples (tissue, blood and saliva) can be carried out. The girls clearly enjoyed extracting their own DNA from saliva in the laboratory.
Innovative first aid training and sensitive data handling
At the TX.Lab at the AIT Center for Technology Experience, the girls were treated to an immersive introduction to the field of ‘XR for Challenging Environments’. Extended Reality (XR) offers fantastic opportunities to combine the real world with the digital world. The girls were able to try out the AI-supported mixed-reality first aid training solution “Green Manikin” for themselves, which was awarded the Houska Prize this week.
Finally, the station “Understanding data sovereignty in everyday life” demonstrated that, particularly in the age of digitalization and artificial intelligence, it is important to ensure that one handles one’s own data sensitively. Social media and AI tools such as ChatGPT often encourage people to be careless with their own data.
Daughters’ Day is an initiative of the City of Vienna, and the AIT has been a partner of Vienna Daughters’ Day for many years with the aim of inspiring young girls and women to take an interest in research.
www.toechtertag.at
About AIT