The VI edition of the Hipatia-Women in Science Awards, organized by elEconomista.es recognized three names for their work in research and their progress in equality between men and women in a sector that has traditionally been masculine. This is reflected in the report Women Scientists in Figures 2024prepared by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, since there is an underrepresentation of women in ICT. YesIf the focus is on the labor market, 61.3% of companies in this sector do not have specialized women among their staff, which highlights the urgent need to incorporate them.
Now, although there are more and more women researchers (34.4%), the gap is accentuated in the business sector, where only one in three women are researchers. The lack of references is one of the main factors of the lack of interest of girls and adolescents when choosing a scientific career, especially in branches such as those mentioned above. Therefore, These Hipatia Awards seek to recognize companies and names from the world of science for their role in the dissemination of the professions. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) among women.
The first laureate of the gala was the molecular biologist, Sara García Alonso, who received the Young Talent award. This award aims to recognize a female scientist under 40 years of age for her merits in the research field of her specialty. In November 2022, García Alonso became the first Spanish woman in the European Space Agency. Furthermore, since 2019, she has been working as an advanced biomedical scientist at the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO). “It is a privilege to receive an award that celebrates the role of women in science, which although progress is being made, needs more references and more visibility,” said García through a video, since she could not attend the award ceremony in person. prizes. She also wanted to take the opportunity to “encourage young scientists to keep going, because science needs your creativity and your passion.”
Then, The award for Scientific Career was awarded, which is an honor to the career of a female scientist of more than 40 years. On this occasion, the person who picked it up was Ana María Cuervo, co-director of the Einstein Institute for Aging Research in New York and professor of Molecular Developmental Biology and Medicine. He was conducting research at Tufts University until 2001, when he created his own research group at Einstein, with which he studies cellular cleaning and recycling mechanisms and the effect that their loss of function with age has on aging and related diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and metabolic diseases. In Cuervo’s words, “a prize in science is always a joy, but this prize being for women has a very important meaning for me, because throughout my career I have interacted with brilliant women scientists.” And he added that “we are educators, we serve as mentors, there is no better feeling than seeing the people in your group grow. In addition, we work with people worldwide because science is something very collaborative. We are also economists, because we fight because the little money that arrives lasts us for a whole year.
Finally, The Business and Science award was given to L’Oréal. This award aims to distinguish a company not belonging to the social and health sector that stands out for its support of the existence of a stimulating and favorable research environment, through the financing of initiatives and projects carried out by Spanish universities and research centers. L’Oréal has been promoting female leadership in science for more than 20 years. In fact, in 1998 the company promoted an international award, L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science”, and has already recognized the work of more than 4,000 scientists, including Spanish women such as Margarita Salas and Ángela Nieto and even , winners of a Nobel Prize like the biochemist Katalin Karikó.
The award was collected by Cristina Biurrun, scientific and regulatory affairs director in Spain and Portugal, and said that “the program not only gives an economic boost, but also gives wings to women and gives them viability and recognition. In addition, of the confidence to move forward and break barriers and helps them in their subsequent projects. And he added that “They are an investment in the future of science, because the world needs science, and science needs women.”
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