femTUme is a broad professional and scientific women's network of the Faculty for Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at TU Wien. We are a volunteer-led initiative supported by the Dean's Office and the Rector's Office.

Female Engineers Showcase Their Research: femTUme Congress

On January 17, the second femTUme Congress took place, organized by the women's network of the Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Female scientists showcased and discussed the impressive diversity of their research.

Group photo with about 40 women in front of a screen showing the main building of the TUW.

© femTUme

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Group photo with 4 people. In the background a screen with the words “THE AWARD GOES TO”

© femTUme

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"We will continue to promote women until it is no longer necessary." This is the motto of femTUme, the women's network of the Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, which advocates for visibility and equal opportunities for women.

The network was founded in 2021 and held its second conference on January 17, 2023; a great opportunity for personal networking and for learning about the diverse female research activities within the faculty. Over 60 attendees joined the event and enjoyed the atmosphere at TUtheSky.

Ute Koch, Vice Rector of TUW, welcomed the participants and praised femTUme's commitment. According to the Vice Rector, the network makes an important contribution to the empowerment and visibility of female research, and thus to the promotion of gender equality at TU Wien.

Two longer presentations – by Sabine Köszegi and Julia Fernández Pérez – as well as a series of five-minute pitches provided insight into the wide range of topics that women in the Faculty of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering are researching:

Equality and Individuality

Sabine Köszegi, Professor and Head of the Department of Work Science and Organization, opened with findings from studies on the causes of "Leaky Pipelines"—the reasons why women continue to leave academia in their scientific careers, causing the gap to widen, particularly in areas involving money and prestige. Köszegi emphasized that what women need is the ability to live their individuality on equal terms. Until that is possible, many female scientists will give up and leave the field.

Following Köszegi’s presentation, short presentations on current research were given by female scientists from various institutes. Breaks and a pleasant atmosphere, created by the organizers, provided opportunities for networking and exchange.

In the afternoon, posters were presented, with the most convincing one being selected by a jury consisting of Dean Christian Bauer, Vasiliki-Maria Archodoulaki, and Marica Markovic. The jury awarded the prize to Anna Krejci’s poster, “Use of SLIPS as a New Anti-Icing Method for Aviation Applications.”

Review and Outlook

Dora Zagorac from femTUme reflected on a successful past year and expressed her hope for continued strong support from TUW as well as interest and engagement from the faculty's female researchers. For 2024, femTUme plans to host a series of workshops and events, as well as the monthly social gathering for colleagues from the scientific staff.

femTUme is a broad professional and scientific women's network of the Faculty for Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at TU Wien. It is a volunteer-led initiative supported by the Dean's Office and the Rector's Office.

Info: https://www.tuwien.at/mwbw/dekanat/femtume, opens in new window

The femTUme women welcome colleagues who wish to become part of the network. Contact: femTUme@tuwien.ac.at