Celebrating women and girls in science

Eleven ICIQ scientists have joined this year’s events to celebrate February 11^th, the International Day of Women and Girls in science.

#100tífiques

Ten ICIQ researchers have joined #100tífiques, an initiative organised by the Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovació (FCRI) and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) in collaboration with the Catalan Government’s Department of Education, to bring women scientists into schools. The initiative will mobilize 472 scientists to give talks in 427 schools all over Catalonia.

For the ten ICIQ researchers who will participate in the talks, this isn’t a one-time thing. This is the second edition for laboratory engineer Dr. Imma Escofet, who will deliver the talk Molecule design to save resources. “I want to convey that being a scientist is an attitude, that of being curious and wanting to continue learning every day,” explains the scientist.

Doctoral student Alba Pérez will give the talk Gold Beyond Jewellery in which she will explain the uses of gold in chemistry, to bring science closer to objects and materials that children see in their lives. What she likes most from this activity is to teach in a plain and familiar way what the day-to-day life of a laboratory is like.

For Dr. Eugenia Martínez, research group coordinator who will give the talk entitled Research on energy efficiency, the most important thing is “to increase the student’s female references in science, which are quite scarce in the media. Scientific research is also idealized in the media, so I find it very important to give a realistic viewpoint and to help the students have first-hand contact with research.”

Scientists in action … Experiment!

Challenge Experimenta, the programme of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) aimed at awakening scientific vocations among young people through experimentation, dives into the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the campaign “Scientists in action… Experiment!” with the aim of normalizing female references in science.

ICIQ researcher Maria José Hueso also participates in a gamified educational proposal with three researchers from Rovira i Virgili University. The initiative aims to bring students between 10 and 14 years old to solve three scientific challenges that will allow them to understand why the Leaning Tower of Pisa doesn’t fall, how antigens tests work or how we can detect if food has starch. In the audiovisual pill, the scientists explain how they apply their respective training in biotechnology, physics, chemistry and biochemistry in their daily lives and a guide where students will get clues to solve the scientific challenges while experimenting in the classroom.

Global Women Breakfast in Tarragona

For the third year in a row, a Global Women Breakfast is being organized in Tarragona. This is a worldwide networking event organized by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) that aims, on the one hand, to celebrate the achievements of women working in science and technology, and on the other to inspire new generations to embark on a scientific-technical career.

This chapter of the Global Women Breakfast is organized by the URV. In this round table, Drs. Rosa M. Marcè (Faculty of Chemistry, URV), Anna Ardèvol (Faculty of Chemistry, URV), Katherine Villa (ICIQ) and Míriam Díaz de los Bernardos (Chemical Technology Unit, Eurecat), will present their views on the opportunities and the challenges they have had to face in order to develop their careers as researchers. The round table will be moderated by Dra. Núria Ruiz (Faculty of Chemistry, URV). After the round table, all participants will have the opportunity to socialize and make contacts while sharing a nice breakfast.

Join the Tarragona Global Women Breakfast on Wednesday 16 February.