October - December

Porsche and Eon sponsor professorship at Berlin Technical UniversityHow can we improve the image of engineering studies and careers, especially among young women?

Stuttgart. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, and Eon AG, Düsseldorf, are sponsoring a professorship at Berlin Technical University for a period of five years to improve the image of engineering as a career and to encourage more women into these careers. The professorship funded by Porsche AG and Eon AG, “Equal Opportunities in Technology Communication by Universities and the Media”, is intended to improve the image of engineering studies and careers in this area.

In doing so, the university wants to embark on a new path. It is focusing, for example, on the potential of the entertainment media, which will be used for a reality-oriented change of image of engineering as a career. Other aims include tempting more young women to study technical and scientific studies with attractive female role models and using teaching innovations to improve the appeal and quality of an engineering education. Applicants will be invited for the new professorship in November 2008.

Prof. Dr. Kurt Kutzler, President of Berlin Technical University: “Berlin TU is consistently following its path to attract women into the sciences and, together with the industry partners involved, is working to set an innovative standard all over Germany. The new approach in particular, using media images to increase the appeal of technology and sciences and systematically tackling them from one university, is another building block in our concept for providing female talent with greater support across the whole bandwidth.

We’re not just focusing on one target group, but offering a variety of projects for schoolgirls, female students and young female scientists as well as women professors.”

Thomas Edig, Executive Vice President Human Resources at
Porsche AG: “As the world’s leading sports car manufacturer, Porsche has to rely more than ever on new, capable and well-trained engineers. In view of the demographic trends in this country, it is essential to us that more young people study engineering or technology in the future. We expect the sponsored professorship to provide an impulse to help change the image of engineering careers and also to make them more attractive to women.”

22.10.2008