Source: Birte Wulfes
I am Birte Wulfes and I am currently a Master's student of Biological Chemistry. My master's thesis in the field of recombinant protein expression and application led me to BAM, where I am currently working on at the Environmental Analysis division. At the beginning of my work, I cloned genes for an enzyme and transformed them into Escherichia coli. Now I am producing the enzyme heterologously in E. coli in order to subsequently purify it, bind it to a carrier material and finally characterize it with regard to its properties.
After completing my training as a technical assistant for agricultural and environmental analysis, I studied food chemistry for my bachelor's degree and then switched to biological chemistry for my master's degree. I could never have imagined that I would be at this point after leaving school. I started training as a technical assistant because I was very interested in chemistry – but at the same time I was also very afraid of being "too stupid" for university.
Women and girls still face many obstacles to studying and pursuing a career in science. This often starts with the necessary self-confidence. There is a concrete lack of role models: not only are the majority of Nobel Prize winners male, but also the majority of professors, lecturers and research group leaders. Fortunately, this is currently changing, but it will be a long time before the changes really bear fruit.
Until then, we have to be each other's role models. I was very lucky to meet great female scientists during my studies, who not only taught me a lot professionally as supervisors of internships, bachelor's or master's theses, but who also inspired and encouraged me to follow my dreams. Support each other and build each other up. Together we can shape the future.
Back to the aricle #WomeninScienceDay: “We have to be role models for each other”