On 8 March, on the occasion of Women’s Day, the roundtable “Women in science: a world of possibilities” was held in the auditorium of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) from 9.30 to 11am. It was attended by nearly 200 teenagers and 13 teachers from 6 secondary schools in Barcelona and l’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
The roundtable was introduced by Mara Dierssen, head of the Cellular and Systems Neurobiology group at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and moderated by Maruxa Martínez-Campos, coordinator of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the PRBB.
The event brought together women with different professional profiles in science from the 6 research centres of the PRBB. The aim of the meeting was to give visibility to women leaders in different fields of science and to introduce young people to a variety of scientific careers.
The aim of the meeting was to give visibility to women leaders in different fields of science and to introduce young people to a variety of scientific careers.
Many different career paths lead to science
The guests at the roundtable talked about their career path from a personal point of view, explaining how they became interested in science, what their work is like and how they balance it with their family and social life. They also talked about their visions for the future and their day-to-day life.
The first speaker was Joana Porcel, Research Manager and Head of the Projects Unit at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). Joana gave her perspective from the field of research management, which she came to after studying psychology and working in a variety of different jobs, including clinical trial management. A journey that has prepared her for her current role.
Afterwards, Marta Román, a researcher at the Epidemiology and Evaluation Service of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, explained the paths that led her, somewhat by chance, to research on breast cancer. She linked it to her personal process of discovering her identity as a trans woman and her vocation as a musician.
The next presentation was by Sira Mogas, CEO of the start-up company KOA Biotech – a spin-off from the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS-UPF). She talked about how, although she never imagined it, she had managed to create her own company before turning thirty, albeit with a lot of effort and hard work.
Elena Bosch, researcher, teacher and deputy director of the Institute for Evolutionary Biology (IBE: CSIC-UPF), explained that science runs in her family. She also spoke of the importance of organising herself to carry out these three tasks and of the essential support and co-responsibility of her partner, also a scientist, in order to reconcile her work with her family and social life.
Then Berta Fusté, Head of the Genomics Unit at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), explained what it means to work in a scientific-technical service and why she likes. She again emphasised the importance of work-life balance and the importance of sharing tasks at home, as well as having time for yourself and friends.
Heura Cardona, a laboratory technician at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory – Barcelona (EMBL Barcelona), showed another path to scientific research; in her case, she is carrying out her own projects in parallel to managing the lab and helping the rest of the team. Heura emphasised the interdisciplinary nature of the teams and the importance of knowing how to work together.
Finally, the moderator of the roundtable, Maruxa Martínez-Campos, briefly talked about her own path in science, too. After her PhD, she decided to dedicate herself to disseminate science and now works in science communication. She finds her work very interesting because it allows her to be in contact with a diverse pool of scientists of the PRBB and their research.
At the end of the event, a question-and-answer session was opened for the students, who had questions about issues such as funding and asked the speakers whether they would choose the same paths again, if they had to start anew.
Different paths, but many similarities translated into messages for the students
Despite their different backgrounds, the six speakers had a lot in common and agreed on a series of common messages for the students. They advised everyone to do what they are passionate about without closing any doors and, especially for girls, to be confident, as many times girls (and women) do not apply for jobs they could do because they think they do not fit the profile.
It became clear that there are many paths, sometimes unexpected, that can lead to working in science. And you don’t have to have the best grades or be the smartest person to go into research, because with hard work you can achieve anything.
The various barriers that still exist were addressed, and the scientists urged both boys and girls to be the generation that breaks them down.
Not all the speakers were sure of their vocation from the start, but they all shared an artistic and creative side, whether through music, ceramics or their own work. They also agreed on the need for self-care and sport as a place to relax and find oneself.
We learned that the paths are often not straight and that it’s okay to get a little lost or confused, because we build our path as we go, trying out what we want. It is important that everyone finds their own way and that no one encounters discriminatory barriers – and this is a world we must all build together.
Indeed, the various barriers that still exist were addressed, and the scientists urged both boys and girls to be the generation that breaks them down. The roundtable served to show possible paths for these young people, who will soon begin to choose their future careers.
You can see the full round table (in Catalan) in this video.
An 8M full of activities at the PRBB
Other activities took place on 8 March to celebrate Women’s Day at the PRBB. After the round table, a manifesto was read in Charles Darwin Square. On the other hand, the exhibition ‘Portraits of Women in Science’ can be found at the entrance of the building throughout the month of March. It consists of 12 collages by Raquel P. Sierra of ‘collagesxrach‘, portraying 12 female scientists from the Park. They are accompanied by quotes from the researchers and QRs that lead to interviews with each of them.
The different centres of the Park also carried out their own activities, such as the ISGlobal video campaign in collaboration with Women in Global Health, the IBE campaign #Closethescissors or the different awareness-raising activities organised by the UPF, among others.
