Leading by Connecting: How Female Networks Can Shape the Future of STEM

The idea for the ETITFem network was born last summer over sushi, and it perfectly encapsulates the power of connection and community. While enjoying the sunshine and some delicious sushi on a lovely terrace, I overheard a conversation at a nearby table. The women at the table were passionate and energetic, discussing the important Role of the female networks at TU Wien and the exciting opportunity to address the low number of women in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Their conversation was so inspiring that I jumped in without hesitation to share my opinions, too. Over the following days, I found myself thinking about the underrepresentation of women in STEM subjects worldwide as well as the small number of women at our own faculty. This was the spark that led to the founding of the ETITFem network a few months later. At ETITFem, we are on a mission to support, inspire, and connect women in science at all levels, especially at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology. The chance to make a real impact on society is the exciting part. We can be role models and a source of inspiration for the next generations, encouraging more young women to pursue STEM careers. I am confident that this will have a significant impact, because diverse teams approach problems from so many different angles and come up with creative, inclusive, and robust solutions. As the network initiator and co-founder, I am proud of the successful launch of the ETITFem network. Its establishment was a group effort, made possible by the enthusiasm, work, and support of the female ETIT colleagues, our students, the General Competence Department, and our dean. Since August, we at ETITFem can also count on the wonderful support of our student assistant Ms. Gerda Tanács. In the following months we will organize our first networking events and launch the ETITFem video podcast. The idea behind the podcast is fantastic! We have put together a list of brilliant female researchers ready to talk about their work and share their scientific experiences as women in STEM. To ensure you don’t miss out, follow us on our social media accounts, LinkedIn, Instagram, and BlueSky.