On Tuesday, February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science was celebrated, a date established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly to promote full and equal access and participation of women and girls in science. The ICMAT has participated in this initiative since 2018, organizing workshops, conferences, and other actions with the same objective, focused on the field of mathematics. This year, the center’s staff participated in activities that looked to the past, recovering the profiles of women—some little known and others more popular—who made history in the discipline, and also to the future: young pre-university students were the protagonists of one of the events held.
PIM students celebrating February 11 with Pedro Sánchez and Pilar Alegría. Alongside them, Moisés Herradón, one of the PIM organizers and a member of ICMAT. Image: Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports.
Members of the Small Institute of Mathematics share their passion for mathematics with the President of the Government and the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports of Spain.
On Monday, February 10, some participants from the Small Institute of Mathematics (PIM) at ICMAT brought their love for mathematics to the II Fair of Women and Girls in Science, held at the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports. Among others, they had the opportunity to converse with Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government of Spain, and Pilar Alegría, Minister of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports.
Mathematics with a Name: Women Who Made History in Mathematics
Alba García Ruiz highlighted the role of pioneering Spanish women in mathematics. Image: Laura Moreno Iraola/ICMAT.
On February 12, at ICMAT, Alba García Ruiz, a predoctoral researcher at CSIC in ICMAT, conducted a workshop for 41 students from IES Arturo Soria in Madrid. Over an hour, they learned about some of the pioneers of mathematics in Spain, who broke barriers and changed the world of mathematics in their time: Carmen Martínez Sancho, María Montserrat Capdevila D’Oriola, María Andresa Casamayor… Details about their lives, professional achievements, and the impact of their work on science and society were presented.
During the activity, attendees participated in an interactive contest where they had to answer questions in real-time about these women and mathematics using their mobile phones. The two winners received a popular science book from the Miradas Matemáticas collection as a prize. “Although I didn’t like mathematics, this inspired me to research more about it,” said one attendee. “Very interesting, it makes you want to do more mathematics,” concluded another.
Maryam Mirzakhani, Explorer of Surfaces and First Fields Medalist
Javier Aramayona explained some ideas related to Maryam Mirzakhani’s research. Image: IES El Boalo.
On February 11 at 11:30, Javier Aramayona, a CSIC scientist at ICMAT and director of the center, gave a popular science lecture at IES El Boalo (El Boalo, Madrid) on one of the great names in international mathematical research: Maryam Mirzakhani (Iran, 1977-2017). In 2014, Mirzakhani became the first woman to receive the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics. In his lecture, Aramayona briefly described Mirzakhani’s research in the field of geometry, as well as some insights into her journey to becoming one of the most influential mathematicians of her generation.
Female Role Models for Achieving Gender Equality in Science
Eva Gallardo was one of the speakers at the “I Am a Woman in STEAM” panel. Image: Ayuntamiento de Las Rozas.
Eva Gallardo, professor at the Complutense University of Madrid, member of ICMAT, and former president of the Spanish Royal Mathematical Society (RSME), was one of the speakers at the “I Am a Woman in STEAM” panel, organized by the Ayuntamiento de Las Rozas. In this event, professionals from various scientific fields shared their work and experiences as women dedicated to science with an audience of nearly 200 students from schools in Las Rozas (Madrid). “We want to create female role models for children, which can contribute to the choice of these fields as professional careers and achieve gender equality in the scientific field, while commemorating the fundamental role that women and girls have in science,” stated the organizers.
February 11, International Day of Women and Girls in ScienceICMAT has celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, joining the ‘We All Do Science’ campaign of the Vice Presidency for Scientific Culture and Citizen Science at CSIC. The objectives have been to highlight the role of women at all stages of the scientific career and to promote interest in science among younger audiences.
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