Girls' Day and Boys' Day at LIV

On April 23, 2026, the Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV) in Hamburg once again opened its doors for Girls'Day & Boys'Day. This nationwide initiative aims to encourage students to explore careers and research fields in which their gender is still underrepresented. At LIV, this meant above all: a morning spent between microscopes, pipettes – and plenty of curiosity.

After a short introduction, the students quickly had the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities. The day began with a visit to our high-throughput sequencing platform, which provides state-of-the-art methods and expertise to enable, among other things, the identification of known and novel pathogens in clinical samples. During the tour, the students gained insight into modern approaches in genomics and how viral genetic material is analyzed.

Afterwards, the participants were able to explore four previously selected stations, each offering a closer look at different areas of the institute and allowing them to take part in practical activities.

At our Technology Platform “Microscopy and Imaging Analysis”, which provides a broad range of light and electron microscopy techniques for studying viral infections in cellular systems and issues, the students gained insight into how viral infections are visualized at the cellular level and into modern imaging approaches used in research.

Together with the Emerging Viruses research group, they extracted DNA from fruit – a simple yet striking experiment that illustrated key principles of molecular biology.

Things became more technical in the Virus Genomics research group, where participants performed gel electrophoresis themselves, a standard method used to visualize DNA fragments.

Insights into high-level biosafety practices were provided by the Viral Zoonoses – One Health research group together with the management of the BSL-3 laboratory. The focus was on safety measures and the responsible handling of potentially hazardous pathogens.

Creativity also played a role: by building virus models, participants explored the structures of different viruses – including dengue, adeno, and HIV – in a hands-on and engaging way.

With great curiosity and enthusiasm, the students immersed themselves in the daily research environment at LIV. A morning that hopefully fostered interest in the natural sciences for many years to come.