In the context of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which is celebrated on 11 February, the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, CSIC-UV) is joining in the activities that highlight the role of women in science. Between 7 and 20 February, various institutions and educational centres in the Valencian Community will be hosting conferences, round tables and informative activities featuring, among other prominent scientists, researchers from I2SysBio.

 

The programme kicked off on Friday 7 February with the unveiling of Ana Conesa's mural at the Carles Salvador primary school in Benimaclet, as part of the ‘Dones de Ciència’ (Women of Science) project. Over the following days, experts in various disciplines will share their knowledge and experience with the public at open events and meetings with students. Among the most noteworthy activities, on Tuesday 11th February at 11:00 am, the Santiago Grisolía Auditorium of the City of Arts and Sciences will host the event ‘Ask a scientist’, moderated by Amparo Latorre, with the participation of researchers Ana Elena Pérez-Cobas, Amelia Ortiz-Gil, Alicia Borque and Yasmin El Ovajdi. That same day, at the IES El Cabanyal secondary school, the researcher Ana Conesa will give a talk entitled ‘What is bioinformatics and what can you do with it?’

On the other hand, on the same day, 11th February, a round table will be held at the Mario Monreal Cultural Centre in Sagunt with the presence of Rosa Benet, Ana Camarasa, Matilde Gil, Emilia Matallana and Natalia Mateu. Before this debate, in the Saló de Plens of Sagunt Town Hall, the local council will pay tribute to the career of Emilia Matallana (former director of I2SysBio).

On Wednesday 12th February, coinciding with the celebration of Darwin Day, the University of Valencia will host a lecture by Elena Casacuberta entitled ‘From unicellular to multicellular organisms: an evolutionary transition that will change life on Earth forever’. In the afternoon, in the cafeteria of the Octubre Centre de Cultura Contemporània, there will be a ‘Bar de Ciències’ on the impact of artificial intelligence on society, moderated by Reis Juan, with the participation of robotics expert Carme Torras. On Friday 14th February the Science Festival at the CEIP Sant Joan de Ribera (Valencia) will feature the workshop ‘Science in action: designing oral vaccines with probiotics’ given by Alba Arévalo and Paola Corbín and aimed at children under 6 years of age.

The activities will continue on Saturday 15th February with a collective reading of texts by Lynn Margulis and Charles Darwin at the University of Valencia's Natural History Museum. The programme will run until 20th February with lectures in various educational centres, such as the one given by Emilia Matallana at the IES María Moliner in Port de Sagunt and the one given by Ana Conesa at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Alicante.

These initiatives aim to raise the profile of women's work in science, inspire new generations and promote equal opportunities in the scientific field. All activities are free of charge until full capacity is reached.

[Full list of activities]