Championing Equality: Reflecting on International Day of Women and Girls in Science
February 11th marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science Day. This day was established by the General Assembly on December 22nd, 2015 to recognize the role that women and girls have in science and technology. This day is implemented by UNESCO and UN-Women in collaboration with institutions and civil society partners that aim to promote women and girls in STEM.
History of the Day
What is International Day of Women and Girls in Science Day about? UNESCO’s goal is to promote gender equality, highlight achievements, inspire future generations, and advocate for inclusion for women and girls in science. The date was chosen to honor Marie Curie’s birthday, who was a chemist and physicist that made groundbreaking contributions in the fields of radioactivity and nuclear physics. She remains an inspirational figure for women in STEM today.
The day is observed in many ways including hosting conferences and workshops, role model recognition, STEM outreach programs, and through social media campaigns. Many educational institutes and organizations host workshops, conferences, and webinars to highlight the importance of this day. Many important figures within the STEM field will attend these workshops or highlight on social media showing their advocacy for the continuous work that they are doing.
The Center’s Partners and Advocacy for Women in STEM
The International Center has many partners that promotes women in science. One of these partners is Corteva. Corteva likes to promote women within agriculture. They take on many roles within the agricultural field and Corteva does not like them to go unnoticed. They recognize that this change is going to take time, however, they understand that by recognizing the rural women of the nation will give them more opportunities free from preconception.
Another connection to The International Center is Purdue University who is a recent recipient of the 50 for 50 award. Purdue University has a Women in Science program that recognizes the women in science throughout their university community. This program is a group full of mentors and mentees that go through programming and facilitate relationships that may be going through the same setbacks within the science community. This program helps women curate relationships and provide support to enhance their personal and professional careers within the science world.
The International Center recognizes and highlights the women and girls in science. We thank you for your tremendous amount of work put into the community and the world itself. Your efforts do not go unnoticed!
By: Carley Jobe, Marketing & Communications Intern
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