The Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, UV–CSIC) is marking the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11F) this February with a series of outreach activities aimed at educational centres and the general public. Throughout 11 February and the following days, several researchers from the institute will participate in talks, workshops and scientific meetings aimed at inspiring vocations, bringing research closer to society and highlighting the fundamental role of women in science.

This Wednesday, 11 February, researcher Pilar Domingo-Calap will participate in the Girls4STEM Professional #11F2026 talk, a special event for the 11F celebration that will be held online from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is aimed at students from educational centres throughout Spain. The I2SysBio researcher will introduce them to science that has a direct impact on people's health and the care of the planet. In addition, Domingo-Calap will also give her workshop “Virus Hunters: Special Session on Women and Girls in Science” at the CEIP María Moliner School on Thursday 12 February.

On the same day, principal investigator Beatriz Sabater will deliver the activity “The genes we eat” at the CEIP Almassaf (Almussafes) primary school, aimed at third-year primary pupils. Through this workshop, students will learn how food oxidation works and how antioxidants act, as well as discover that even fruit contains DNA. Sabater will accompany the workshop with a short talk on Margarita Salas and Marta Miguel (CIAL-ICTAN), as examples of women researchers.

Ana Conesa will participate in the round-table discussion “Women and Bioinformatics” at the IV Bioinformatics Conference in Aragón. In addition, researchers from the group led by Conesa at I2SysBio, ‘Gene Expression Genomics’, will hold the activity “The DNA Bracelet” at CEIP Alejandra Soler on 22 February. Likewise, Carolina Monzó, a postdoctoral researcher, will visit the CEE Colegio Squema on 18 February, where she will be interviewed by the students themselves.

Finally, the institute’s Equality Committee will display the poster “Women Scientists Who Inspire at I2SysBio” to mark 11 February. This initiative was already carried out last year and was very well received by the centre's research staff. In 2026, the commemorative poster highlights the careers of six female researchers from I2SysBio: Rosario Gil, Ana Gabriela Hernández, Mária Dzunkova, Emilia Matallana, Carolina Monzó and Paula Ruiz—six different profiles, at different stages of their scientific careers, who explain their beginnings and how their scientific vocation was awakened.

Participation in Darwin Day and 11F

I2SysBio also actively collaborates in the CCC Octubre programme for the 11F and 12F Darwin Day celebrations. On Tuesday, 11 February, the Charles Darwin Hall will host the lecture “Science (fiction) stories about hopeful monsters and genomic dark matter,” given by Rosa Fernández of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology IBE (CSIC‑UPF).

On 12 February, Darwin Day, the Science Bar will take place in the OCCC Cafeteria. In this edition, Ester Desfilis, from the University of Lleida, will give a talk entitled “Where do our brains come from, how are they made and where are they going?”, moderated by journalist Reis Juan.