Instituto Superior Técnico joins the ‘Engenheiras Por Um Dia’ project to celebrate International Girls in ICT Day with a video campaign aimed at changing perspectives on who makes technology. The initiative addresses questions posed by children on topics related to information and communication technology (ICT) and highlights the work of female researchers at Técnico, presenting them as role models for the younger generation.
‘How do satellites communicate with the Earth?’, ‘What are aerials for?’, ‘How does a 3D printer work?’, ‘How do smart cars know that the driver is tired?’ or “What is artificial intelligence, anyway?”, are some of the questions addressed in this video campaign, which features contributions from professor Catarina Barata and master’s student Catarina Caramalho, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC) / Institute for Systems and Robotics (ISR Lisboa), as well as researchers Helena Alves and Vânia Silvério, from the Department of Physics (DF) / Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN).
Ana Teresa Freitas, head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Técnico and a researcher at INESC-ID, emphasises that this campaign highlights ‘the ongoing challenges with the limited presence of women in ICT due to structural barriers’. In an opinion article published today in the PÚBLICO newspaper, the Técnico professor notes that ‘while the history of ICT includes many inspiring examples of women who have revolutionised technology, their contributions are often underestimated or forgotten’ and stresses the need to “correct the system, not the women”.
The videos will be released over the coming weeks on Técnico’s communication channels, underscoring the importance of diversity in building a digital future. “Talent has no gender, and the technology of the future needs all brilliant minds”, asserts Ana Teresa Freitas in her article.
Additionally, in February, on the International Day of Girls and Women in Science, Técnico launched a similar campaign in which professors and researchers answered questions from younger students.
The ‘Engenheiras Por Um Dia’ programme promotes the choice of engineering and technology among students in non-tertiary education, deconstructing the idea that these fields are male domains.
The programme is an initiative of the Portuguese Government, coordinated by the Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG) and INCoDe.2030, in collaboration with the Portuguese Association for Diversity and Inclusion (APPDI), Instituto Superior Técnico and Ordem dos Engenheiros, involving a network of 101 partner organisations (including 15 municipalities), 62 primary and secondary schools and 23 higher education institutions.
