The rector of the Universitat Jaume I, Eva Alcon, welcomed together with the director of Espaitec, Juan Antonio Bertolin to the institute's 2nd year of ESO students «Violant of Casalduch» from Benicàssim in a day dedicated to promoting STEM vocations, that is, vocations in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, especially female students in secondary education.
Currently, there is a considerable gender gap in professions and degrees linked to the four STEM disciplines. This is why Spanish science and technology parks have promoted dissemination and immersion actions in STEM vocations, coordinated through the Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE), in order to try to reverse this situation.
Espaitec, organized a day in which the students of the IES “Violant de Casalduch” had the opportunity to experience it firsthand the experience of talking with successful technologists and scientists active in their immediate surroundings, and visit the exhibition "Women who changed the world"In which 35 profiles stand out that have stood out within the technological or scientific sector along the history.
Alcon, highlighted in his speech that "Despite the rate of women studying scientific careers being lower than that of men, they obtain great academic results". For its part, Bertolin highlighted the importance of this type of initiatives, in which Espaitec organizes this event for the second time in Castellón, in order to reinforce the shortage of professionals in STEM vocations with the incorporation of more women in this type of disciplines, usually with a greater male presence.
In the round table held later, and in which the director of the Higher School of Technology and Experimental Sciences of the UJI (ESTCE), Amelia Simó; the co-founder of technology companies Roofeco y Blue Plasma Power, Marianella Martínez; and the head of Project in Maintenance de BP Castellón Refinery and coordinator since 2018 of the program bpSTEM, Susana Pérez; stood out the need for more women to make their careers in the field of science and the stereotype that they are professions dedicated to a male audience is banished, since many women throughout history have made great achievements for humanity; managing to improve many scientific and technological fields and disciplines that are vital today, such as medicine, biology, physics, chemistry or engineering, among others.
Once the round table is over, The students participated in a series of theoretical-practical workshops in which, in groups led by a girl, they built, learned and reflected on the different scientific concepts linked to the experiments developed.
Finally, during the day some explanatory guides of the different exits in STEM disciplines prepared by the Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE). The illustrated guide "What do I want to be when I grow up?" provides real examples of professional opportunities and helps them choose the disciplines that best suit their profile and the document «What are disruptive technologies?», created with the Spanish Technological Platform for Disruptive Technologies (DISRUPTIVE), where the most disruptive technologies currently are made visible, such as Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, 5G and Quantum computing; as well as providing possible professional opportunities in these areas. This material can be downloaded at website.
This event has been possible thanks to the financing of the Ministry of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society of the Generalitat Valenciana.
