Engineering for Equity Think Tank

Welcome to the Engineering for Equity Think Tank collaborative website.

This website showcases the student projects that were developed in the corresponding module at TU Berlin, Germany.

The module is advised by Prof. Dr. Steffi Knorn, Prof. Dr. Stefanie Marker and Prof. Dr. Christina Völlmecke.

We came up with the project's idea as the TU Berlin's Control Department suggested further development in the technology-workshops they hold for primary school girls from time to time. The general approach is to tackle the gender inequality in STEM subjects and jobs. Literature suggests that the fact that girls are less likely to decide for a stem career is decided in early school years which is why this project tries to intervene right here.

One part of our group decided to research deeper on the background of gender inequality. There are several spheres of life that influence girls self concept of ability towards STEM subjects which is why we paid attention to a few of them. To be mentioned is the teaching stuff at school and its biases towards the skills of the pupils. Here we found contradicting resources and papers stating higher or lower influence on career choices. In the end we still didn't feel confident enough to develop a pedagogic guide for educated professionals. Another important sphere is the family. Family view and attitudes are often reproduced by their children - so are gender roles. Here a lot of literature was available and solutions can be simply implemented. This is why we finally decided for this target group and designed a guide for parents to raise awareness for unequal support of sons and daughters as well as suggest behavioral changes. The literature we found paid especially attention to the role of fathers in their children's education.

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The core idea was to combine technical learning with storytelling and self-expression. The gadget consisted of a moisture sensor that monitored the soil of a plant and triggered a small water pump when the soil became too dry. The system included a visual feedback mechanism using an LED traffic light system to indicate moisture levels. A potentiometer allowed the threshold for watering to be adjusted, making the gadget adaptable to different plant types. The electronics were mounted on a custom-designed circuit board, which was later integrated into a 3D-printed case for durability and compactness.

Beyond the technical components, the workshop emphasized creativity and identity-building. Participants were encouraged to decorate their plant pots and water containers using paints, stickers, and even beaded hangers for the circuit board. A unique feature of the workshop was a card game titled “Which Engineer Are You?”, which introduced various technical professions through playful storytelling. Each girl received a card representing a fictional female engineer, guiding them through different phases of the workshop and linking the hands-on activities to real-world career paths.

The workshop was designed to be monoeducational, focusing exclusively on girls to create a safe and empowering learning environment. The educational concept was informed by research on gender-sensitive STEM education, emphasizing the importance of positive feedback, relatable role models, and the integration of everyday contexts. The team also developed accompanying teaching materials, including visual guides, experiment instructions, and a take-home booklet summarizing what the participants had learned.

Women affected by pain during penetrative sexual intercourse, due to a variety of different physiological or psychological causes, are often treated using fixed-size vaginal dilators, that are regularly perceived as uncomfortable and leading to premature treatment drop-outs. These dilators could be improved by making them adaptable in size and therefore able to apply different pressures on the vaginal duct.

With the aim of achieving the medical dilation objectives while guaranteeing comfort levels, we constructed in this project a dilator that is able to change its width in the necessary range. After comparing and discussing various types of potential mechanisms, in the end, we developed a draft for a prototype that expands using a spiral mechanism powered by a small motor unit in the base of the dilator. The details of the dilator-prototype, including images of the CAD-model, can be found in the report we wrote, as well as possible solutions to the remaining issues with the model.

Studying is challenging in itself. The demands on students are high and a continuous effort is required to fulfil academic obligations. If additional obligations arise, such as care work, bringing up children, caring for relatives or employment, these multiple burdens often lead to excessive demands. The additional tasks not only require a significant investment of time but also demand considerable emotional and physical resources, thereby intensifying the stress experienced.

As part of the course, an app concept is to be developed that uses gamification to help students to complete their studies in a structured way without neglecting their mental health. The implementation of a points system is an effective method of encouraging users to engage with and actively develop their understanding of the learning material.

The city of Berlin as an rising problem with illegal disposal of bulk waste. In the year 2023 the city paid around 9,67 million € for the removal of the waste (rbb). In our project SpareMüll, we tried to find how this problem emerges and if there any solutions.

To archieve this goal several steps were taken. First, the given information in the internet were collected, second the we tried to get in touch with the BSR and one politician of the worst district and third we tried to build solutions.

We chose to produce two more episodes of the Podcast, that was previously done by Narges and Jona in the Summer term 2022. It was important to us to show invisible Limitations of students in their daily life. We wanted to give them room to express their feelings and how they manage to get through their studies. Another important aspect was for us to help people at the TU Berlin, who also have these Limitations, and show them how they can get support and that they are not alone. Not only did we interview people with conditions like ADHD, Autism or Depression but we also interviewed experts who could give us an inside in the topic from an outside point of view. Everything is packed in our two episodes, labelled with the titles "ADHS und Autismus" and "Depression".

To listen to the episodes, please check Spotify soon.

If you would like to have further insights into the making process, the technical equipment and information acquisition, please have a look at the german paper down below.

We look at one of the biggest and most hated roundabouts in Berlin to find out what makes it so infuriating for the thousands of cyclists every day. The Großer Stern (big star) is a roundabout with five exits and traffic lights for the car, foot, and bike traffic. By analysing the traffic light plans and doing our own survey on the transit times of cars and bikes we show the favouritism towards cars. Therefore, we demand that there should be changes in the planning of the traffic lights and adjustments to the cycle path guidance to promote bike traffic for a more sustainable city. Ther german paper can be found on the side.

Structural sexism is also ever-present in the world of science and publications. Especially in technical and engineering disciplines, female authors are massively underrepresented.  While writing a scientific paper, project area or homework, it is not easy to cite equal number of male and female authors. To assist in the analysis of one's own bibliography with regard to gender equality, a program was written which assigns the first names of a bibliography to their probable gender, counts them and outputs them accordingly. Not only is this an interesting data analysis and visualization of gender inequity, such a program could help scientists and students in the future to close the gender gap in their bibliographies or at least to counteract it.

Kein Einzelfall is a podcast about equity and anti-discrimination in academic settings, especially at TU Berlin. The core of the podcast are personal experiences shared by TU students, professors and researchers. Those are collected in interviews, in-person group discussions, and online chat groups. Additionally, these experiences are put into context with studies and surveys to show patterns of structural and societal discrimination. Based on that information, approaches that can contribute to a solution on a personal and structural level are collected and discussed. The goal is to make those affected by discrimination feel heard and help those not affected to raise more awareness and to unlearn internalised thought patterns that represent societal discrimination.

Project & Process

We created a Whatsapp group and a Signal group to gather opinions, ideas and proposed solutions on our topics. We also held an initial discussion circle on the topic of the first episode. We edited everything that we collected in the chat groups and in the discussion group in terms of experience reports and opinions and used it to create the first episode of the podcast. We recorded it on 04.07.2022 and edited it shortly afterwards. The first episode will be published in September on as many platforms as possible. At the same time we are working on the second episode.

Learnings

It's important to give a podcast a structure so that the listeners can follow it. Furthermore, it is important to how to structure a podcast well, record it with appropriate microphones and edit it professionally.

Tips & Insights

If you're studying on the side, schedule plenty of time. Managing chat groups, planning meetings, and preparing content takes a lot of time! Get feedback on your processes, ensure a pleasant working atmosphere in the team and take the time to think about the project with inspiration - even in between! When you are writing the script for the episode, pay much attention on writing sentences that you really would say in an all-day chitchat! It is very easy to write sentences that make sense, but short and pregnant sentences are a high art! More learning outcomes are subsumed in the PDF on the right-hand side (German Version).

Inspirations

Through EETT, we had the opportunity to structure our projects on our own and learn a lot about project management and leadership. The meetings during the during the semester and feedbacks helped us to improve the process and to pay attention to points points that we accidentally neglected. The event gave us the framework to think freely without constraints and carry out our project. Moreover, the pleasant atmosphere of this event helped us to continue our project with motivation.

Goal

Our goal here is to give all people who have experienced discrimination and want to talk about it the space to share their experiences. we strive to shed light on issues in a more intersectional way and share a wider variety of perspectives. We especially welcome the participation of FLINTA* people, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities, but also everyone else.

Many children lack a connection to technology in their everyday lives. "Technology education" is often not a separate school subject and falls by the wayside alongside the other STEM subjects. Girls in particular rarely start studying engineering and the girls and boys who do are often the children of engineers themselves or were privately supported outside of school. Engineering and apprenticeships related to technology should not be exclusive fields but should be made accessible to all - especially those who are not supported by their social environment!

Therefore, we, four engineering students, have created the project "DIY Hydraulic Robot Arm for Kids". This project aims to teach a fundamental concept of engineering, hydraulics, to children from grade 3 onwards in an age-appropriate way.

The focus of the kit is on independent work in groups, trying things out, experimenting, and playfully recognising the scientific principle. It was important to us that the project can be carried out wherever there is time: Be it in class, in a project week or in afternoon care. Therefore, the materials provided are designed to be used by a person without technical background knowledge. Except for a few parts from the 3D printer, only materials that cost little and are easy to obtain are needed.

The worksheets for the children and the materials for the teacher are in German and are available for download.