“Meitner project. Remembering Lise Meitner”, an informative initiative of the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), a joint centre of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Valencia (UV), has been awarded at the first STEAM Alliance awards for female talent, convened by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. Specifically, the IFIC project received second prize in the category aimed at public or private entities or organisations, at a gala held at the Teatre Principal in Castelló de la Plana on February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in science.

The STEAM Alliance Awards for female talent recognise the most innovative educational projects, curricular materials and educational or training innovations in promoting the vocations of girls and young people in disciplines related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in connection with the arts and humanities (STEAM) in the educational field.

In total, 15 prizes have been distributed with an endowment for each modality of 10,000 euros, of which 5,000 correspond to the first prize, 3,000 euros to the second prize and 2,000 euros to the third prize. In the category aimed at public or private entities or organisations, the first prize went to the Carlos III University of Madrid for its project “STEM 4 GIRLS UC3M. Promotion of Technological Vocations in Girls and Young People”, and the third prize for the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists (Amit) for its project “Scientists and Engineers go back to school”.

On Saturday, February 11, coinciding with the celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the awards ceremony took place at the Teatre Principal in Castelló de la Plana. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Pilar Alegría; the Minister of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant; the Secretary of State for Education and Vocational Training, José Manuel Bar Cendón; the Mayoress of Castellón, Amparo Marco; the General Secretary for Vocational Training, Clara Sanz and the Local Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, Raquel Tamarit, who distributed the prizes among the different educational centres and award-winning entities.

During the act, Sara García Alonso also took part, who took a tour of her career until she was elected as an astronaut. She clarified that she has always been a curious girl, with the need to understand the world. She remembered her trips to her town with her grandfather, looking at the stars, dreaming of being an astronaut and discovering other worlds. Over the years, she turned to biotechnology, in order to improve people’s lives. She to finally show up, almost by chance, and be chosen by the European Space Agency as a reserve astronaut.

For “Meitner Project. Remembered Lise Meitner” Ángela Molina, coordinator of the project and head of communication at IFIC, and Mariam Tórtola, researcher at IFIC, full time professor at UV and member of the project, received the award.

Meitner Project. Remembering Lise Meitner

The Meitner Project aims to make visible the role of women in science throughout history through art, highlighting how they have been relegated to the background in scientific activity and in the recognition of it, assuming the social feminine role prevailing during the past centuries. As its main task, the project proposes a critical approach from a gender perspective to the history of science, so that society is provided with tools that allow a vision of reality in accordance with the current state of knowledge in the twenty-first century.

For this, the project has the development of different actions that revolve around the main axis that are currently being carried out:

Performance of the play Meitner Project, produced by the CRIT theatre company based on the book Remembering Miss Meitner by Professor of History of Science and playwright Robert Marc Friedman. The work recovers Meitner’s legacy through the complex plot that she starred in with her great friend Otto Hahn and her colleague Manne Siegbahn. The next performances aimed at the general public are scheduled for the next 3 and 4 March at 8:00 p.m. at the L’Agrícola theatre in Alboraya. It should be noted that the session on day 3 will be adapted for blind people. After each performance there will be a colloquium with staff from both the artistic and scientific team to dialogue with the public.

The Science and Gender Conferences, coordinated together with CEFIRE, are mainly aimed at Secondary school teachers, but are open to everyone. They will take place on February 28, March 1 and 2 in the afternoon with a hybrid format.

The project includes “ExpressArte-ConCiencia”, an artistic contest aimed at Secondary School (ESO and Baccalaureate) and Vocational Training students that includes three categories: text, image and video. The registration period for the third edition is currently open.

In addition, Artistic Expression Workshops have been carried out aimed at students from Singular Centres to encourage the participation of these students in the contest; #magnIFICa, a mentoring program aimed at Physics undergraduate and master’s students, consisting of the collaboration of students in the scientific work of the IFIC researchers. An exhibition is also being prepared in collaboration with the multidisciplinary artist Mónica Mura, which will compile the winning and selected works of the contest and will also feature artistic pieces by the artist herself with the aim of making the pioneers in nuclear and particle physics as visible as possible. The opening date is scheduled to coincide with Expociencia, throughout the month of May.

Ángela Molina, coordinator of the Meitner project and head of IFIC communication, and Mariam Tórtola, IFIC researcher and UV professor, attended the awards ceremony at the Principal Theatre in Castellón on February 11, which coincided with the celebration of the world day of Women and Girls in Science. The Ministers of Education and Vocational Training, Pilar Alegría, and of Science and Innovation, Diana Morant, presented a total of 15 awards with an endowment for each modality of 10,000 euros, of which 5,000 correspond to the first prize, 3,000 euros to the second prize and 2,000 euros for the third prize. The first prize in this modality has been for Universidad Carlos III de Madrid for its project “STEM 4 GIRLS UC3M. Promotion of Technological Vocations in Girls and Young People” and the third prize for the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists (Amit) for its project “Scientists and Engineers go back to school”.

More information:

https://alianzasteam.educacionyfp.gob.es/premios.html

https://recordandoalise.es