HR4RS stamp
Irene Vega
The Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit (UCC+I), belonging to the Vice-Rector's Office for Research, Innovation and Transfer, organizes the URJC Scientific Conferences in the classroom for the eighth consecutive year. The objective is to make visible the role of women in science and awaken among young people their interest in scientific and technological careers. In this edition, more than fifty professors and scientists from the URJC participate, who will share their personal and professional experiences with students from different educational centers in the Community of Madrid.
These meetings will be held throughout the week and within the framework of the commemoration of the Day of Women and Girls in Science, which takes place every year on February 11, as declared by the United Nations General Assembly ( UN). During these days, the researchers will give informative talks to primary, secondary and high school students.
El activity program It is divided into four thematic areas. On the one hand, the aim is to promote the study of careers and professional opportunities in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). science, technology, engineering and mathematics) with the program 'What if I study a STEM career?'. Secondly, personal experiences of different scientists from the university will be addressed in the 'I am a scientist' meetings. The third thematic block is dedicated to 'Health Scientists' and, finally, other areas of knowledge that a priori are less related to scientific activity will be presented, such as social and legal sciences, arts and humanities. “Every year the Scientific Culture Unit perceives greater involvement from both researchers and educational centers. The former see these meetings as a great opportunity to disseminate science; and the latter take the opportunity to bring the research 'in capital letters' that is done from the university to their classrooms,” says Carmen García Galera, academic director of the UCC+I.
An essential event in the scientific dissemination activity programs
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 researchers and scientific communicators launched the February 2016 Initiative in 11, a call to organize activities that would add to this celebration. The Rey Juan Carlos University is part of this movement and organizes different actions every year to support and achieve the main objectives: encourage students to choose a scientific or technological career, make visible the work carried out by female scientists and create female roles in the 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 different activities that are programmed.
This initiative, promoted by the UCC+I, has the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) - Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and, in addition, is part of the program of activities Researchers at Schools, within the European Researchers' Night (MADRIDNIGHT) project, a consortium coordinated by the madri+dy Foundation funded by the European Union within the Horizon Europe Programme, under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (with grant agreement no. 101061343).