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Abel Verard/ Irene Vega
Next February 11 will be the Day of Women and Girls in Science (declared by the UN in 2015) and for the sixth consecutive year the URJC has scheduled a calendar of meetings with female scientists in which they will give informative talks throughout the week . These activities are aimed at primary, secondary and high school students from different educational centers in the Community of Madrid and Toledo.
The program 'Scientists from the URJC in the classroom', coordinated by the Vice President for Research through the Unit for Scientific Culture and Innovation (UCC+I), aims to make the role of women in science visible and awaken among young people, especially girls, their interest in scientific and technological careers. In this edition, 41 professors and researchers from the URJC will participate, who will go to the educational centers to share their personal and professional experiences with the students.
The talks will be held from February 7 to 11 and will be divided into four thematic areas. On the one hand, careers and professional opportunities in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will be promoted. science, technology, engineering and mathematics) with the program 'What if I study a STEM career?'. Secondly, personal experiences of different female scientists from the university will be discussed in the 'I am a scientist' meetings. The third thematic block will be dedicated to 'Health scientists' and, lastly, other areas of knowledge will be announced that a priori are less related to scientific activity in the area 'There is also research in Social and Legal Sciences, Arts and Humanities'. “The numbers of women in the field of experimental sciences, engineering and technological careers continue to show a difference with respect to men, so great emphasis must continue to be placed so that more and more girls and young women become involved in these disciplines”, points out Carmen García Galera, academic director of the UCC+I.
In addition to these activities, in collaboration with the Equality Unit of the URJC, dependent on the Vice-Rector's Office for Planning and Strategy, a program of activities focused on the university public has been organized. The 'Women and Science' program It will take place in four online sessions on February 7, 9, 10 and 11. 11 URJC scientists, researchers and technologists, and other external specialists will participate in the different sessions, addressing a variety of topics ranging from gender stereotypes, interest in scientific and technological professions in the STEM branches or the visibility of women in different scientific fields and areas of knowledge. These conferences are open to the university community and are especially aimed at undergraduate students (0,1 ECTS per day), Master's and doctoral students of the URJC. Registration can be done through an online form for students and another for PDI and PAS. “The objective of these conferences is, on the one hand, to highlight the role of women in science, research and knowledge both at the present time and throughout history and, on the other, to make it clear, from a from a personal point of view, the barriers that researchers continue to have when it comes to developing their professional careers”, highlights Rosa Rodríguez Saavedra, director of the Equality Unit.
A long-term initiative
On December 15, 2015, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the goal of achieving full and equal access and participation in science for women. women and girls, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
In Spain, a group of scientific researchers and communicators launched in 2016 the Initiative February 11, a call to organize activities that will add to this celebration. The Rey Juan Carlos University forms part of this movement and organizes different actions every year to support and achieve the main objectives: to encourage female students to choose a scientific or technological career, to make visible the work carried out by female scientists and to create female roles in fields of science and engineering and that promote practices that favor gender equality in the scientific field. The response from the URJC scientific community has been very positive and every year more women join the various activities that are scheduled.
The different activities promoted by the UCC+I have the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) - Ministry of Science and Innovation.