NEW YORK/GENEVA, FEBRUARY 10 – Gender bias in science has resulted in drug tests that treat the female body as an aberration, and in search algorithms that perpetuate discrimination, but the solution is simple: increase the numbers of women working in the field and support the girls hoping to join them one day. That’s the message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, who appealed for concrete action to increase their ranks.
As of today, only one in three science researchers are women. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11 is an occasion to remember the important role they play in science and technology. In New York the Italian Mission to the United Nations cheered its support for all women and girls in science in Italy and all over the world. “They are the ones bringing everyone forward”. In Geneva, Ambassador Vincenzo Grassi spoke at CERN: “Italian physicists are protagonists of cutting-edge research.
Featured on the Center website among its testimonials was Stefania Maria Beolè, an Italian professor of experimental physics at Università degli Studi di Torino. She has been at CERN since 1995, involved in the development and construction of silicon detectors for both the NA50 and ALICE experiments. Since 2020, she has also been the project leader of the Inner Tracking System (ITS) of the ALICE experiment.
Between CERN and Torino, Stefania says, “In all workplaces, I try to spend some time in the laboratory each day. I appreciate doing some technical work, especially with my students. We have test set-ups to characterise detectors with laser beams and radioactive sources… working with them makes me feel as young and enthusiastic as a PhD student.” For her, the most fun happens in the control room, waiting for the beam to arrive, while spending time with colleagues and sharing the excitement of potential achievements.
“The intellectual power of women, once hidden, turns and expands science today,” said Grassi. In Washington, Italy’s Ambassador to the United States, Mariangela Zappia, launched at Villa Firenze the Week of Women and Girls in Science, an initiative sponsored with the Embassies of France and Germany, the Children’s National Research Institute and George Washington University.
On the occasion, the “Women in Science Diplomacy Club” will also be launched to promote the gender perspective in science diplomacy. Also speaking at the event was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Department’s DG for Science Affairs, Jennifer R. Littlejohn, and the DG for Health of the U.S. Department of Health. (@OnuItalia)
