Women in Science

For the international Day of Women, we are sharing some resources detailing the state of women in science and some ways to create a STEM field that is more inclusive.

Do you know who is known as the "Queen of carbon", or who was the first woman to receive a salary as a scientist? Do you know since when we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, or when did the CSIC launch the "Women and Science Committee"?

We received a total of 81 illustrations of real and imaginary women scientists and shared them on Twitter and Youtube. 

This year, to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we will have an inspiring talk about Emmy Noether by Dolors Herbera, UAB Professor in Mathematics.

The conference, open to everyone interested, will take place on Monday, 8 Februrary 2021, through the Youtube channel of the association, and is in the framework of 11F, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The exhibition about Catalan women scientists, organized by the Catalan Association of Science Communication (ACCC) features M. Rosa Palacin and Anna Roig, both ICMAB researchers, and other 22 relevant scientists in their respective fields.

María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, President of the Women for Africa Foundation (Fundación Mujeres por África) visited the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB) on Monday, 28 September 2020, in the afternoon. The visit was in the framework of the programme "Science By Women" (Ellas Investigan), which the ICMAB wishes to join in its next edition.

On Monday, 21 September 2020, the special workshop organized by the TU Darmstadt on "Women of Distinction in Materials Science" will take place online, via Zoom. Among the invited speakers, ICMAB researcher Clara Viñas will give the talk "Towards purely inorganic nanomaterials: new opportunities of boron clusters in biomaterials and medicine". 

Th article published in the Open Access journal ACS Omega "On the Study of Ca and Mg Deintercalation from Ternary Tantalum Nitrides" by M. Rosa Palacín, Amparo Fuertes et al. and the article "Role of Polymorphism and Thin-Film Morphology in Organic Semiconductors Processed by Solution Shearing" by Marta Mas-Torrent et al. have been selected for the the journal's first-ever Virtual Issue "Women at the Forefront of Chemistry". This special collection of articles, handpicked and guest-edited by the Associate Editor, Professor Luisa Torsi, celebrates the contributions of 50+ leading women scientists at various stages of their career, selected from around the world, who have published high-quality articles in our journal as corresponding authors.

From the ICMAB Gender Equality Committee we wanted to engage the ICMAB community in a social network activity for the "International Day of Women and Girls in Science" (11 February 2020) #QuotesFromWomenScientists! We had a great participation, and here is the result!

The CSIC Catalunya organized a morning in which women scientists from different CSIC centers visited the school "Escola Can Maiol" in Sants, Barcelona, to talk and experiment with science. From the ICMAB, Arántzazu González, chemist, visited the group of 3r Primària (8-9 years old) and did some experiments to discover the acid/basic properties of some natural substances that we have at home by the change of color. Sants3Radio was there to talk with them!

On Tuesday, 11 February 2020, we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Many activities around this topic are held at the ICMAB during the whole week, and even month! Take a look here at the different activities! From "Madame Châtelet and her Instagram followers", to seminars and workshops, "El Enigma Agustina" and "Quotes" from women scientists. 

On Friday, 14 February 2020, the film "El Enigma Agustina" will be screened at the ICMAB (in Spanis, with English subtitles). After the success of the film that we screened to celebrate Christmas at the ICMAB, we will show it again, in the framework of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11F). Don't miss the opportunity to meet Agustina Ruiz Dupont!

In the framework of the International Day for Women and Girls in Science (11 February), the UAB organizes a colloquim about Energy and Climate Change (Energia i Canvi Climàtic), in which M. Rosa Palacín, ICMAB researcher expert in the field of batteries, will participate. The event will be at 1 pm at the "Sala d'actes" (Edifici C), Science Faculty, UAB. Come and join us!

The Seminars and Training Committee kindly invites you to the following;ICMAB Seminar, to commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, on 11 February:;

Science and gender: perspectives from the history of science

by Clara Forensa, CEHIC-UAB

Tuesday, 11 February 2020 @ 12 pm
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

Anna Laromaine, researcher at the NN Group at ICMAB, and one of the Top 100 women leaders in Spain (MujeresyCía), will be at "El Pais Con Tu Futuro" event next 18-19 December in Madrid, to talk in front of thousands of students who are about to decide their future. Good luck, Anna!

On Monday, 25 November 2019, a gathering in the entrance of the ICMAB building was announced between 11 and 11:15 am to show respect to the victims and concern for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Members of the ICMAB Gender Equality Committee read the Statement that the Gender Equality Committee and the Committee of Women and Science of the CSIC had prepared, on the occasion of this international day.

On 12 March 2019, and in the framework of the Women's International Day, 8 March, the Châtelet team went to Sant Cugat to perform the dramatised reading that visibilizes the women scientists along history "Madame Châtelet and her Instagram followers". The students, of 11-12 years old, were really attentive and asked many questions after the lecture. Thank you for inviting us!

Terrassa held on 6-7 March 2019 the first edition of the "Women, Science and Technology" (WSciTech19) Conference (Congrés de Dones, Ciència i Tecnologia) and the "Châtelet team" at ICMAB presented their dramatised lecture "Madame Châtelet and her Instagram followers" as a tool to visibilize the wise women in the history of science. Susagna Ricart and Anna May, in representation of the team, presented a Poster, and an Oral Communication, which resulted in a fantastic colloquium.

On Monday, 11 February 2019, we will celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at ICMAB! We have a full morning prepared with a seminar to discover who was and what did Lise Meitner do, followed by a presentation of some of the participants of the STEM-AMB-TU initiative from AMIT-CAT to encourage scientific vocations to young girls. Do you want to share this day with us?

To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the ICMAB will host a conference about Lise Meitner, followed by a presentation of the AMIT-Cat Association. You are all invited to join us on 11 Februrary!

Lise Meitner: insights from recent research

by Xavier ROQUÉ, Centre d'Història de la Ciència (CEHIC)

Monday, 11 February 2019 @ 11 am
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles

Today we started to celebrate some of the events for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We had a seminar at 12 pm from Montse Ribell on Mileva Mariç, a great women eclipsed by a great man, Albert Einstein, and who left her studies in physics and maths for him. 

After the seminar, we took a group photo of the women at ICMAB, but also of the men... Why? 

During the second and third weeks of February, the ICMAB will be celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which was declared in 2016 by the United Nations to be on February, 11.

This day is being celebrated by other research centers, universities, science museums and other institutions and associations related to science, in order to raise awareness of the persistent gender gap in science, and raise the profile of the work of female scientists. The global goal of is to achieve a full and equal access and participation in science for women and girls, and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. 

Marie Skłodowska Curie was born one 7 November 1867, 150 years ago. She is, probably, the most known woman in science. She is the only one that many people can identify and remember, the only one who won two Noble prizes: one in Physics (in 1903, for the discoveries on radioactivity) and one in Chemistry (in 1911, for the discovery of radium), and the first and only woman (for many years) who participated at the Solvay Conferences (the most famous one in1927, in the picture).