The United Nations General Assembly declared February 11 the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To mark this Day, Técnico organised on February 14, the 8th session of Contigo+ Programme with the participation of Petra Rudolf and Anália Torres, who talked about the role of women in the past, present and future of science and technology. There was also a panel discussion on the problems facing women and girls today, with active participation from the audience.
This is not the first time that Petra Rudolf has given a lecture at Técnico. The professor specialised in Solid State Physics at the University of Groningen had already shared her reflection on ‘unconscious bias’ in 2020 and, before that, she gave an IST Distinguished Lecture on molecular motors. This time, Rudolf brought a ‘Historical Perspective of Women in Science’, listing dozens of examples of women who, over the centuries, have contributed to advances in the most diverse scientific areas – from Hildegard von Bingen in the 12th century to Agnes Pockels at the turn of the 20th century.
Anália Torres, a professor at the Institute of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP), presented the results of the study Gender Equality in Higher Education Institutions (GE-HEI). The project, which has now been completed, aimed to “identify causes of gender inequalities” and “develop new knowledge, tools and methods that can promote gender equality in Portuguese higher education”.
The event also included a panel discussion moderated by Beatriz Silva, a professor at Técnico and co-coordinator of Técnico Gender Balance group, which involved the two keynote speakers, Luís Oliveira e Silva, professor at Técnico and president of the School Council, and Catarina Botelho, a Técnico alumna and one of the winners of the 6th edition of the Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Award. Some of the measures implemented by Técnico in this area were highlighted, for example professors may request approval for teaching relief immediately after their parental leave.
