WeCanTech Award 2024: UAS Technikum Wien Honors Female Excellence in Technology
29 May, 2024
Ten outstanding female students and graduates were honored for their remarkable achievements in technology under the patronage of First Lady Doris Schmidauer.
The UAS Technikum Wien presented the WeCanTech Award on May 27, 2024. This prize is awarded annually to a total of ten female students for outstanding achievements. The event took place under the patronage of Doris Schmidauer, wife of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.
In her opening speech, presenter Christine Wahlmüller-Schiller emphasized: “It is our task to bring women in front of the curtain, to make their achievements visible and to show what great things they do.” After the welcoming address by Managing Director Barbara Czak-Pobeheim, Principal Sylvia Geyer and Doris Schmidauer, the first five prizes were presented. Mariella Müller, Head of Equality Management at the FHTW, was also present at the presentation.
Doris Schmidauer, co-founder of the Initiative Digitalisierung Chancengerecht (idc), who took over the honorary patronage of the event, said: “We urgently need women with their skills in technical professions in order to master the major challenges of our time. It would be negligent not to use their full potential. Projects such as ‘She goes digital’ are essential for involving girls and women in digitalization.”
UAS Technikum Wien is taking part in the “She goes digital” project in order to get girls and women interested in digital topics and to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in the digital world.
Panel discussion on AI: implementation, use and risks
The evening also included a panel discussion on the topic of “The future is now. AI transformation of companies” took place. Michaela Barta-Müller, Execution Lead Analytics at A1 Telekom Austria AG, Daniela Lidl, Managing Director of WienIT GmbH, and Louise Beltzung, Head of Research Projects in the field of AI and Internet Fraud at ÖIAT, took part.
They spoke about the implementation and use of artificial intelligence in companies. They emphasized the need to take ethical aspects into account and to enable employees to deal with AI. The risks of AI were also discussed, particularly in connection with internet fraud and deepfakes.
Rector Sylvia Geyer emphasized in her speech: “Today we are celebrating the excellence of our students and alumni. It is important to make these successes visible and to bring these outstanding women to the fore – they are already acting as role models today and are helping to change the future, including the role models of women and men, in line with our claim “Change our Tomorrow”.”
More than 1,000 enrolled female students
Barbara Czak-Pobeheim, Managing Director of UAS Technikum Wien, emphasized: “The mere fact that the First Lady of the Republic of Austria, the Managing Director of Technikum Wien and the Rector of our university are present at the WeCanTech Award ceremony shows the high importance of promoting women at Technikum Wien. At UAS Technikum Wien, we have set ourselves the goal of increasing the proportion of women in technical management and leadership positions to 30 percent by 2025.”
The university of applied sciences has been committed to increasing the number of female students for years and positioning technology even more strongly as an attractive education. An important milestone was reached in the winter semester 2021/22: more than 1,000 female students enrolled.
A mentoring program was also launched for female Bachelor’s and Master’s students in their final year of study. Ten selected participants will receive individual mentoring from suitable mentors as part of the WeCanTech initiative.
“Wanted to be a role model for my daughter”
The second part of the award ceremony then took place. The award winners were proud and grateful for the recognition. Nina Seidl, one of the award winners, explained: “I wanted to be a role model for my daughter and show her that it pays to persevere.”
The event ended with a group photo of all the award winners and a final networking session. The WeCanTech Award 2024 was a significant step towards the promotion and visibility of women in technology and an inspiring sign for future generations.
The WeCanTech Awards recognize female students and alumnae in two categories: Compatibility and Grades. In the “Compatibility” category, female students are honored for completing an outstanding course of study despite family obligations. The award winners are selected by a jury from UAS Technikum Wien. In addition to the recognition, they receive prize money of 1,000 euros. In the “Grades” category, students who achieve an outstanding grade point average of at least 1.3 are honored.
Award-winning female students:
Bachelor and compatibility with family life: Sandra Gradwohl-Prem (Information Systems Management), Nina Seidl (Mechatronics/Robotics), Esmat Shamsodin (Smart Homes)
Master and compatibility with family life: Marianne Stephanides (Data Science), Besa Metushi Sahiti (Information Systems Management)
Bachelor grades: Iris Raab (Information Systems Management), Alexandra Stark (Electronics/Economics)
Master grades: Bianca Scholda (Mechanical Engineering), Tanja Reinisch (Innovation and Technology Management), Isabella Goger (Industrial Engineering & Business)
About UAS Technikum Wien
UAS Technikum Wien is Austria’s university of applied sciences for technology and digitalization. Since its foundation in 1994, it has produced around 18,000 graduates. Currently, more than 4,500 students are being trained in more than 30 Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs to become top professionals for the economy. The degree courses are offered in daytime or evening form. The courses are scientifically sound and at the same time practice-oriented. In addition to a high-quality technical education, great emphasis is also placed on business and personal development subjects. Excellent contacts and cooperation with business and industry open up excellent career opportunities for students and graduates. The interlinking of theory and practice is a top priority in both teaching and research.
Printable images here in the cloud folder:
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(Photo credit: UAS Technikum Wien / ChristineMiess)
Image text: The winners of the WeCanTech Award 2024, together with the guests of honor and speakers, at the award ceremony at UAS Technikum Wien.
Further Links:
Equality at the FH Technikum Wien
WeCanTech High Potential Program: Supporting women in their professional careers
WeCanTech Lunch: Space for networking and empowerment
She goes digital: medical technology and software development for women
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