Exhibition BREAKING THE SURFACE. Women in Marine Research

Without the discoveries made by female researchers, we would know far less about the oceans. The exhibition *Breaking the Surface: Women in Marine Research* shines a spotlight on contemporary female scientists and highlights their contributions: their careers, their findings, and their questions about the sea.

Large-format portraits by photographer Marzena Skubatz, personal stories, handwritten notes, and insights into her daily work offer a multifaceted view of modern oceanography—and of the people behind it.

In science, and particularly in STEM fields, women in Germany remain underrepresented. “We want to change that. We need all talent,” emphasized Dorothee Bär, Minister at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space and patron of “Breaking the Surface,” in her opening remarks at the exhibition’s opening on April 23. In a moderated panel discussion on the influence, role, and support of women in science, everyone agreed: Over the past 20 years, the proportion of women in research has improved, and there is more “collaboration”—yet equality remains a societal challenge and an ongoing task. Today’s female scientists can serve as inspiring role models for the next generation of female researchers.

Breaking the Surface is an initiative of the University of Hamburg and the German Alliance for Marine Research, as well as a contribution to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

GRAND OPENING ON APRIL 23, 2026:

Welcome
Prof. Dr. Katja Matthes, Host
Executive Board Member of the German Alliance for Marine Research and Director of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

Opening Remarks
Dorothee Bär, Member of the German Bundestag, Patron
Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space

Keynote Address
Prof. Dr. Johanna Baehr, Exhibition Initiator
Oceanographer, University of Hamburg

Followed by
Moderated discussion on the influence, role, and advancement of women in science
Tour and get-together

Moderator: Dr. Jan-Martin Wiarda, Journalist, Author, and Presenter