Article by Laura Reinón published on 21st February 2018 in "el diari d'educació"

The auditorium of CosmoCaixa (Barcelona) will host on March 12th, from 9.30 to 12.30, a new meeting of students of 3rd and 4th of ESO, Bacalaurate and Training Cycles with leading experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, where they will present professional experiences and projects, as well as providing guidance on future professionalization options in the STEM fields.

The main novelty of this edition, organized by EduCaixa and CEL Working, is the special relevance that will be given to experiences and concrete data of STEM professionalization from an inclusive perspective regarding gender, within the framework of the Hypatia Project, promoted by the Banking Foundation “la Caixa".

According to Laura Robert, partner of CEL Working and promoter and organizer of the STEM Forum, "there are far fewer women than men who dedicate themselves to technical careers, especially in the field of engineering and technology. Young women should see that these studies belong to everyone and that the capacities are the same ".

Laura Robert explains that the idea of ​​creating this day "was born a few years ago in a project for the promotion of engineering vocations where I participated and where the alarming fall of scientific vocations at European level was corroborated." We present the idea of ​​organizing the STEM Forum at the "la Caixa" Banking Foundation, with the aim of attracting young people to scientific careers". In addition, "there are studies that confirm that 9-10-year-old girls already think they have less abilities than their peers and when they decide for higher education, their insecurity makes them opt for other types of training," she adds.

Fall of scientific vocations

The data are demoralizing: the vocation of young people in general has decreased throughout Europe to the point that, if this continues, the economy of developed countries could be compromised. If this circumstance is linked to gender, the picture is even more alarming. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, women are still underrepresented in research and development in all regions of the world, and only one in five countries has achieved gender parity, with 45% -55% of researchers.

Sonia Garcinuño, from "la Caixa" Banking Foundation and responsible for the European Hypatia project, which aims to increase female participation in scientific careers, considers it essential "to involve schools, museums, research institutions and industry to raise awareness and also communicate science from different areas and in a more inclusive way as far as gender is concerned". In this sense, Garcinuño explains that "despite getting good grades in physics or mathematics, when it comes to choosing a career, there are fewer girls who opt for the more scientific field." Therefore, she adds, "the Hypatia project is important not only because schools encourage girls to study scientific careers, but also that companies work in an inclusive way in the genre."

Garcinuño highlights the importance of "changes occurring also at the level of the Administration and research centres where important positions are occupied mostly by men", and states that "it is in the field of research and in the management of entities where There is more to be done. "Despite this situation, "the fact that pages such as Unesco's offer this type of information is a good example of awareness of this problem," she reflects.

Experiences of the hand of professionals

The challenge now is to encourage students to these branches in a natural and playful way. Therefore, reference professionals will put on the table the possibilities of professionalization that STEM has for the future of youth, through their experiences and most significant projects. In this edition, the main papers will be by Digna Couso, Physicist and doctor in Teaching of Science; María Huerta Carrillo, Aeronautical Engineer from the Polytechnic University of Madrid; and José Antonio Zafra, Doctor in Nursing Sciences from the URV.

The program of the day also includes InfoForums by STEM areas, where the students will have the possibility of interacting with experts, asking, and exposing doubts and questions that concern them in relation to their professional future. In this edition an application that can be downloaded directly on your mobile will also be available to students to give your opinion on the perception of gender and STEM careers.

Registration is still open on the STEM Forum site.