On January 23, 2025, mentees, mentors and other guests met for the BreakING fireside evening in the bentonite laboratory of the Chair of Tunnelling, Pipeline Construction and Construction Management, during which Christiane Kitscha and Frieda Lange, long-standing employees of the tunnel construction engineering office BabEng GmbH, offered personal insights into their career paths.

Former and current mentees, mentors and other invited guests were able to look forward to a pleasant and inspiring evening in the bentonite laboratory of Dr.-Ing. Britta Schößer, BreakING initiator and equal opportunities officer of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As a special highlight of the event, Christiane Kitscha and Frieda Lange reported in their keynote speech on the beginnings of their careers in tunnel construction, a field of work that is heavily dominated by men.

After studying geosciences and geophysics, Christiane Kitscha started out as a project engineer at the tunnel construction engineering office BabEng GmbH and has now been working there for six years. She supervised her first construction site after just two weeks on the job. She is currently involved in almost all major tunnelling projects in northern Germany: Südlink in Glückstadt, the district heating tunnel in Hamburg and the U5 Ost subway line in Hamburg. For her, not shying away from anything new, appearing self-confident and at the same time approaching others are fundamental characteristics for good cooperation in tunnel construction.

Frieda Lange, also a project engineer at BabEng GmbH, gave the mentees further tips for more self-confidence on the construction site. The project engineers are familiar with working under pressure in two senses. To prevent groundwater from seeping in during the construction of a tunnel, the tunnel is kept under pressure. They know from their own experience that the complexity and versatility of the tasks involved in tunnel construction require a wide range of skills and expertise - something that can only be found in mixed teams.

With “Frauen@ElbX”, Christiane Kitscha and Frieda Lange are committed to improving communication between female tunnel construction engineers and promoting the sustainable expansion of a strong women's network.

Following the keynote speech, guests were able to chat directly with Christiane Kitscha and Frieda Lange and network with each other over snacks and drinks.