The Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia has organised its fourth edition of the ‘Women and Science at the Botanic Garden’ programme. This initiative began on 11 February, the Day of Women and Girls in Science with the dissemination of an informative video. It included contributions from the twelve women scientist who participated in the three previous editions, as well as the presentation of an artistic image, created by the illustrator Ada Díez. The programme continues this week with online talks due to Covid-19.

At the launch, a video entitled ‘Jo, científica’ was shared on social media in order to encourage all female students who are now interested in science to consider that it can also be a valid option when thinking about their future. And who better to send that message than women with established careers in different scientific fields.

Furthermore, next Thursday 18 February, at 7 p.m., the talk ‘Dones i ciència: un ventall de projectes, una mateixa visió' will be held. And on Thursday 25, at the same hour, the debate ‘La vocació botànica en les dones: present i futur’ will take place. Both sessions require free registration on the website of the Botanical Garden.

The first discussion will be led by Eva Pastor, head of the Culture and Communication Department of the Botanical Garden and speakers will be: Anabel Morales, from the IFIC’s ‘Remembering Lise Meitner’ project; Silvia Rueda, from Girls4STEM; Clara Grima, coordinator of the project ‘Scientific women: past, present & future’; Victoria Toro, representing ‘No more Matildas’ and Laura Morrón, author of ‘A hombros de gigantas’. All of them are women who stand behind successful educational projects that combine science and the female figure.

This fourth edition of ‘Women and Science’ will conclude on Thursday 25 February, also at 7p.m, with a debate on female vocations in Botany, coordinated by Olga Mayoral, assistant director of the Botanical Garden and lecturer in the Department of Science Teaching at the Faculty of Teacher Training. Other speakers will be: Montserrrat Martínez, Full University Professor at the University of Salamanca and director of the Plant DNA Biobank; Sara Mira, lecturer in the Department of Biotechnology and Plant Biology Department at the Polytechnic University of Madrid; Anna Nebot, doctor in Botany and current updater of the Botanical Garden’s inventory; and Lídia López, student of the Master’s Degree in Biodiversity: Conservation and Evolution at the University of Valencia.