The 2025 Ada Lovelace Symposium Highlights the Importance of Mentoring for Women in STEM fields, including Computer Science
Under the theme “Focus on Mentoring,” this year’s Ada Lovelace Symposium took place on November 15, 2025. At the event, current and former mentors, as well as representatives from academia, politics, education, and business, discussed mentoring as a successful strategy for supporting girls and young women in STEM fields. They also recognized the tremendous dedication of the more than 100 mentors employed statewide.
The event, held at the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE) in Kaiserslautern, was opened with welcoming remarks by Katharina Binz, Minister for Women’s Affairs of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Katharina Heil, Director General at the Ministry of Science and Health. The minister stated:
“The Ada Lovelace Project has long been a beacon of STEM promotion. It inspires girls and young women to pursue mathematics, Computer Science, natural sciences, and technology, breaks down barriers, and makes it clear: STEM is not a matter of gender. This commitment not only shapes individual life paths but also strengthens our state as a whole. We cannot afford to overlook the potential of girls and women in STEM professions. The key areas of our future lie in mathematics, Computer Science, natural sciences, and technology—and that’s where we need bright, creative minds of all genders. For nearly three decades, the Ada Lovelace Project has been encouraging girls to develop their talents free from stereotypes and to blaze new trails. The female mentors, in particular, do invaluable work in this regard: They are role models who demonstrate that women can, of course, be successful in STEM careers—and that it is worth choosing this path.”
Director General Katharina Heil then highlighted the project’s great significance for science and society:
“I am delighted that the Ada Lovelace Project has been so successful in Rhineland-Palatinate for nearly 30 years in opening up academic opportunities for women in STEM fields. When young women choose to pursue a STEM degree, they are seizing the opportunity to participate and help shape the future. Innovations in Computer Science, engineering, and the natural sciences shape and influence our society and our future, and women must and should be a part of this. Attracting women to these disciplines not only creates individual career opportunities but also promotes diversity and equal opportunity in science, business, and society. That is why we at the Ministry of Science have worked to secure long-term financial support for the Ada Lovelace Project. We cannot afford to exclude half of society—neither in science, nor in research, nor in technological development. We need the expertise of both men and women.”
As the scientific director of the project, Prof. Dr. Claudia Quaiser-Pohl, Vice President for Research and Transfer at the University of Koblenz, emphasized the importance of breaking down stereotypes and strengthening self-efficacy:
“For girls and young women, it is crucial to have positive experiences in STEM early on and to feel a sense of self-efficacy—this motivates them and empowers them against stereotypical expectations. The Ada Lovelace Project makes an important contribution to this by challenging role models and creating new pathways. Our mentors do a fantastic job every day: As approachable role models, they show how open, diverse, and attractive STEM is, and give young women confidence in their own abilities. This work makes a difference—and it changes the course of their lives.”
Cooperation Agreement Signed with MINT-Campus
A key highlight of the symposium was the ceremonial signing of a cooperation agreement between the Ada Lovelace Project Rhineland-Palatinate and the digital learning platform MINT-Campus. The goal is to further strengthen digital STEM educational offerings and intensify joint activities.
Program Featuring a Keynote, Workshops, and ScienceNote
In her keynote address, “Be the Mentor You Would Have Wanted for Yourself: Research, Impact & Attitude in Everyday STEM,” Kathrin Smolarczyk, a research assistant at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences and FabLab expert, highlighted the importance of effective mentoring in the STEM context and encouraged the female mentors in attendance in their efforts to recruit female professionals.
The subsequent professional program focused on the mentors’ professional development and personal growth and included workshops on topics such as dealing with sexism and criticism, the pedagogical design of successful STEM programs, and the use of digital tools in modern educational offerings. At the same time, an exclusive guided tour of the newly created innovation space “42kaiserslautern” was offered. In particular, alumni of the project, represented by the Ada Lovelace Project Support Association (Ada-Lovelace-Projekt Förderverein e.V.), took advantage of this and other networking opportunities.
To conclude the event, Annika Maria Pick presented the ScienceNote titled “STEM Meets People: One Topic, One Stage—Understandable. Astonishing.” The day then wrapped up with a networking dinner. The event was moderated by psychologist and media producer Diana Huth from Hamburg.
The Ada Lovelace Project is funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health, the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Family, Women, Culture, and Integration, and by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
The project has been in existence since 1997 and offers extracurricular educational programs for girls and young women at 12 locations across the state to inspire them to pursue careers in STEM fields. Among other things, the goal is to increase the proportion of women in STEM professions and to break down gender stereotypes.
It is the state’s flagship program for promoting STEM among girls and young women and has been active in Rhineland-Palatinate for nearly 30 years. It is recognized nationwide as a model of best practice.
Contact information for the Ada Lovelace Project at RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau:
Susanne Eisel
E susanne.eisel@rptu.de