Agnes-Mackensen-Program
Promoting first-generation students
In a laboratory at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, flickering monitors show a succession of satellite images, soil data, and chemical analyses from the university’s nearby experimental field. Anna Lena Salfer is part of a research team investigating the potential of enhanced rock weathering as a method of binding carbon in land used for agricultural purposes. Alongside geoscientific modeling, the team’s analyses primarily draw on data from international emissions trading registries, which help to improve their understanding of the criteria used in standardizing and certifying carbon reduction technologies. Their research assists in supporting credible emissions trading schemes in south-east Asia, representing a key step towards establishing sustainable climate protection strategies in the region.
Anna Lena Salfer is a student on TUM’s elite master’s program "Responsibility in Science, Engineering and Technology" (RESET). Currently, she is one of seventeen at NTU in Singapore, where she is immersed in cutting-edge research in a global context. For the master's student, this is a further step in her academic career. She is the first in her family to attend university and has determinedly embarked on an academic career. Since last year, she has participated in the , a funding program run by the Diversity & Inclusion staff unit that supports FINTA* individuals—women, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender people without an academic background. The program aims to strengthen these students' self-efficacy and promote their leadership skills and personal development.
"During my bachelor's degree, I often thought that I was alone with my difficulties and doubts in my studies. Especially since knowledge about the university is not something I take for granted." Through the Agnes Mackensen Program, I realized that my experiences as a first-generation college student are valuable and recognized," says Anna Lena Salfer.
Breaking down social bias
In Germany, only 27 percent of young people from non-academic backgrounds attend university, compared to nearly three times as many from academic backgrounds. The Agnes-Mackensen-Program is designed to break down this social bias in the educational system. It is named after the first female graduate of TUM.
, Senior Vice President for Talent Management and Diversity at TUM and patron of the program, stresses the importance of initiatives of this kind: “We must not allow so many talents to fall short of developing their full individual potential. Unfortunately, social divisions are rife in the German educational system. They have an adverse impact not only on the students concerned, but also on society as a whole. With this in mind, at TUM we are working on improving the situation in very concrete ways.”
The program offers mentoring schemes, networking opportunities, and workshops for developing individual, entrepreneurial, and academic skills. Its mentors support the participants in building self-confidence and making future-facing decisions. The discussions and dialogues provide the mentees with practical knowledge while also inspiring and encouraging them to achieve their goals.
In addition, the program partners with Avanade to select ten students per cohort as recipients of exclusive MINT grants each worth EUR 1,800—and Anna Lena Salfer is one of them. She gains a host of benefits from the grant scheme: “We recently took part in a hackathon organized by Avanade. My team and I even reached the final! It was incredibly inspiring to be involved in actively shaping innovation in this international context,” she says. “The mentoring is also based on a very personal and individual approach, ranging from Python programming workshops to personal career planning.”
From her laboratory in Singapore to international hackathons, exposure to a variety of perspectives has shaped Anna Lena Salfer’s professional and personal development and is honing her self-perception as an up-and-coming researcher. The Agnes-Mackensen-Program is accompanying her along her chosen path, removing obstacles and throwing open opportunities for making science more inclusive.
6/1–30
TUM Diversity Month
Sun 1 – Mon 6/30/2025
Munich, Heilbronn, Online
We invite you to workshops and discussions throughout June - celebrate inclusion and allyship with us!
- The is aimed at FINTA* (women, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender people) with a non-academic background. Since this year, it has also been opened up to care leavers, i.e. people who have spent part of their lives in a foster family or a youth welfare facility. received the Impact of Diversity Award for the program.
Contacts to this article:
Dr. Amélie Haag
Diversity Management
Diversity & Inclusion Staff Unit
amelie.haag(at)tum.de
