On April 23, 2026, ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig once again opened its doors for Girls’ Day. This nationwide initiative encourages girls to explore professions where women remain underrepresented. By participating in this initiative, we aim to inspire young women to discover career opportunities in AI, computer science, and digitalization.

Dresden

Together with the CIDS departments Center for Information Services and High Performance Computing (ZIH) and Center for Open Digital Innovation and Participation (CODIP), we organized an interactive program at TU Dresden. Eight girls aged 13 to 15 joined workshops, demo sessions, and guided tours throughout the day. They learned how digital technologies influence our everyday lives – and how their career choice can actively shape the future.

Research Methods and Digital Science

The program began with a short interactive workshop by . Using colorful building blocks, participants explored a playful approach to social science. The activity demonstrated how researchers can obtain and evaluate research information from people in order to understand different perspectives and sociological phenomena.

AI, Language Models and Chatbots in Practice

After the workshop, the participants learned more about the research at ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig. During an interactive tour through our Living Lab by Dr. Iryna Okhrin and Moritz Müller, the girls got introduced to AI, machine learning, and other relevant technologies that help us analyze data and support scientific discoveries. Next, the group explored the world of language models and chatbots together with Dr. Claudia Loitsch. In particular, they learned how language is processed, what the ideal prompt looks like, and how chatbots can support learning environments.

Behind the Scenes: Visiting the Data Center

In the afternoon, the girls visited the Lehmann Center Data Center – the IT heart of TU Dresden. During the tour, Carsten Tiede explained how powerful computing systems store and process large amounts of data. The visit gave the participants a rare look behind the scenes of the university’s computing infrastructure. Furthermore, they learned about the different ways to become part of the digitalization process. Christina Mühlbach shared insights on the vocational training and study opportunities at the university.

Leipzig

At our premises in Löhrs’ Carré in Leipzig, seven girls aged 11 to 13, gained an insight into the diverse everyday working lives of female researchers dealing with computer science and AI. At the intersection of a variety of STEM subjects, the girls got familiar with our center and research activities.

Presentation of AI Fundamentals

To start off the day, they joined an AI workshop by Jana Bendigs, in which the fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence were explained. Through theoretical input and numerous practical exercises, the participants learned how machine learning and neural networks work and reflected on their impact on daily lives. In addition, topics such as the impact of social media algorithms and ethical issues of AI applications were discussed.

World Café with female scientists about working as a researcher

In a World Café format, participants were able to ask the female researchers both prepared questions and their own questions at individual tables, thereby engaging in numerous conversations with them on their career paths: what they studied, why they wanted to work in sciences and fulfill their dreams.

Data Science Workshop and Living Lab tour

Afterward, our researchers gave a workshop on analyzing climate data. During the workshop, the participants worked with the researchers to analyze climate data from a local weather station. In addition to learning practical information, ranging from where to find weather data to the most important rules for working with big data, the girls also got to try their hand at coding.

Outlook

We thank all participating girls in Dresden and Leipzig for their interest and for spending Girls’ Day at our center. It was great to see your curiosity and enthusiasm. We are looking forward to the next Girls’ Day!