To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, last Friday CIHEAM Zaragoza hosted the exhibition “Women that Changed the World” as part of the activities coordinated by the National Association of Scientific and Technological Parks within the “Women in Science and Technology” Project involving the Aula Dei Scientific and Technological Park Foundation and another 17 scientific parks. One of the aims of this project is to bridge the gender gap in the scientific world and encourage young women to consider a career in the field of science and technology.

The exhibition takes a look at the history of science though its most prominent female scientists and includes current examples of women engaged in research on the Campus of Aula Dei; at the Experimental Station of Aula Dei (EEAD), the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE), the Agrifood Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA), and the Scientific and Technological Park of Aula Dei (PCTAD). The exhibition has already travelled to several schools and, to quote Ana de Diego and María Martin of the PCTAD, the idea is to take it to more education centres, giving greater visibility to women in science, and to inspire more students to take subjects in the field of science and technology.

Now in its third edition, the Women in Science Project has incorporated other activities such as an escape room, virtual workshops, guides, and talks, in an effort to inform of the many professional opportunities for those pursuing scientific careers.

The “Women that Changed the World” exhibition sends out a clear message that things are changing, confirmed by Azucena Gracia, a researcher at the Unit of Agrifood and Natural Resource Economics of the CITA, who points out that in recent years, not only are we seeing more women involved in research and teaching, but they are also taking on senior roles in research management.

For more information:

The Women in Science and Technology Project (Ciencia y Tecnología en Femenino) 

Digital exhibition “Women that changed the world” (Mujeres que cambiaron el mundo) (in Spanish)