The event SuperScientist Girls returns in 2021 with an entirely online edition. There will be four meetings, broadcast open to the general public, via Youtube. The first took place last Saturday, May 29th, with talks by guests Nina da Hora (PUC-Rio) and Stela Shitani Silva (Cua/Nasa). The objective of the event, which had its first edition in 2019, is to encourage girls to pursue scientific careers, especially in areas that still have a male predominance. Check out the complete schedule below.
The creator and one of the organizers of the event, Marcela Medicina, a student at the Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Scientific Computing (IMECC) at Unicamp, says that after the interruption of 2020 edition of Meninas SuperCientistas, due to the new coronavirus pandemic, the event was adapted. “We adapted the idea and took advantage of the opportunity to invite women from other parts of the world,” she says. Therefore, the 65 girls who had been selected to participate in 2020 were invited to participate in the online event, but it will be open to anyone interested in the topics covered.
Marcela also remembers that the event is especially aimed at encouraging the participation of women in careers that still have female underrepresentation. “Since we were children, we have always seen science being led by men. So many girls grow up thinking that science, especially in the exact, technological and mathematical areas, are not areas for women, and society reinforces this. The event is to encourage girls, show examples so that they realize that this area is also for them”, she says, also remembering that most exact science courses have less than 20% of women as students.
Effort to include everyone
Through a survey carried out with the 2020 participants, the organizers of Meninas SuperCientistas mapped out those who would have difficulty participating in the online event due to lack of connection or equipment. When they identified seven students who did not have a computer and two who did not have access to the internet, they mobilized to obtain donations of equipment and chips, and managed to solve the problem. “Our biggest effort was to try to include everyone, leaving none behind, as many are from vulnerable regions. So we did the research to find out and try to provide the same conditions for everyone”, highlights Ana Augusta Xavier, research professional at Unicamp and member of the Meninas SuperCientistas organization.
Agenda
The event's program, which is sponsored by Ifood and QuintoAndar, includes speakers who were scheduled for the 2020 edition and new guests, due to the possibility of the online format allowing the participation of scientists who live far away. There will be four Saturdays of the event, every two weeks, always starting at 9am. The broadcast will be on channel from Youtube Meninas SuperCientistas. For the girls selected in 2020, a link will be sent to participate in Google Meet, where they will be able to interact directly with the speakers.
The public will also hear from women scientists who work at Unicamp. For IMECC postgraduate student Juliana Carolina Baiochi, a member of the event organization, listening to Unicamp professionals is especially important, as the young students selected in 2020 are largely from the Campinas region, and knowing about these trajectories can motivate them. “Basically the contact that girls have with science is with teachers at school, and showing what is done in their city, showing what the University is like, is important. When the speakers talk about their lives, there are similarities that make them think it is possible to have a dream like that”, she reflects.
Check out the full schedule:
May 29
9am – Opening of the event
9:30 am - “Why don’t I give up on computer science?”, with Nina da Hora (PUC-Rio)
10:50 am - “Seeking New Worlds: from Belo Horizonte to NASA”, with Stela Shitani Silva (Cua/Nasa),
June 12
9am - “Flying robots: do they already exist or are they still just fiction?”, with Caroline Chanel (Isae/Supaero)
10:20 am - “Astrobiology: exploring life at the ends of the Earth and the universe”, with Amanda Bendia (Oceanographic Institute/USP)
June 26
9am - “The incredible universe of Natural Products”, with Taícia Fill (Institute of Chemistry/Unicamp)
10:20 am - “Light for what? Sirius and Brazilian science and technology”, with Ana Zeri* (CNPEM)
10 July
9am - “What is it like to do research in mathematics?”, with Anne Bronzi (IMECC/Unicamp)
10:20 am - “The fantastic world of robotics”, with Esther Colombini (Institute of Computing/Unicamp)
*Researcher Ana Zeri will guide participants on a virtual tour of Sirius, the particle accelerator that is considered the largest and most complex scientific structure ever built in the country. It is located at the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), in Campinas.
More information on Meninas SuperCientistas project website.
