The IEEC joins Women and Girls in Science Day with a strong participation in the #científiques initiative

Every year on 11 February, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated—a day that highlights the role of women in science and serves as a reminder that there is still work to be done to achieve full gender equality in this field.

The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) is once again joining the celebration, with multiple researchers taking part in the 8th edition of #científiques, an initiative that, since 2019, has brought more than two thousand women scientists from across Catalonia to give talks in schools and secondary schools throughout the territory. The initiative is organised by the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI) and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), with the collaboration of the Government of Catalonia.

The IEEC scientists participating in this edition—experts in a wide range of space-science disciplines—include staff from the IEEC’s Area for the Promotion of the Space Sector and from the Montsec Observatory (OdM-IEEC), as well as researchers from the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC) and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB).

This year’s central event took place today, Monday 9 February, in the Assembly Hall of the Col·legi Diocesà Sagrada Família in Tortosa. In addition to the school’s own pupils from Year 6 of primary school and Year 7 (1st of ESO), the event also welcomed Year-7 students from the Institut Camarles. The programme featured notable contributions from Sara García Alonso, the first Spanish woman to join the European Space Agency’s (ESA) astronaut reserve, and Núria Montserrat Pulido, Catalonia’s minister for Research and Universities and president of the FCRI.

Beyond the main event, hundreds of women researchers will visit their assigned schools throughout the week to present their work. In doing so, they will inspire boys and girls with the world of science and help break down gender stereotypes. Their example highlights the strategic role of women in science and technology and helps create real and accessible role models for future generations of scientists and technologists. More than 100,000 pupils in Year 6 of primary school and Year 7 have benefitted from #científiques talks since 2019.