19/11/2019

The 'IMPA Olympic Girls' program is featured in O Globo.

Reprodução de O Globo

The “IMPA Olympic Girls” program was featured in a report on the Celina platform, from the newspaper O Globo this Tuesday (19). The article “Girls in Science: projects combat disparities that keep women away from STEM fields” shows initiatives to increase female presence in Mathematics and Science.

The report contextualizes the disproportionate representation of women in mathematics, highlighting that, in 2015, only 10.5% of CNPq's 1A research productivity grants in the field went to women. Data on the performance of girls in the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP) were also cited in the article.

" Girls win more medals at level 1 (Thursdays and Fridays grade of elementary school), but this number drops at level 2 (7th and 8th grade) and even further at level 3 (high school)."

Promoted by IMPA with support from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the “Olympic Girls” program operates in five public schools in the state of Rio de Janeiro, serving 18 girls in basic education, aged between 14 and 17. The objective is to promote the effective participation of girls in activities related to Mathematics, including school olympiads, so that they can become interested in and develop careers in the scientific and technological fields. The program has five teachers and five undergraduate students from different public universities in Rio, and has the support of volunteer teachers and researchers.

Grupo em visita à casa Firjan, Botafogo

The program coordinator, Leticia Rangel, is one of the interviewees. She emphasizes that the project also contributes to the professional development of the participating teachers.

"They are bringing this perspective on female segregation into their practice, and will train other girls to be even more aware," says Leticia.

Check out the full article :

There is a historical imbalance regarding the number of men and women working in science. In Brazil, women are the majority in higher education courses and represent 49% of scholarship recipients from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), however, throughout their careers, the most prestigious positions and roles are held by men. This disparity begins to be observed in basic education, where the good results achieved by girls decline over the years.

The numbers prove the inequality:

According to CNPq, only 24.6% of research productivity grants (level 1A) are awarded to women. In Mathematics, the scenario is even more disproportionate. In 2015, 10.5% of grants went to women, a number that has been stagnant for at least 10 years.

The Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) states that the loss of space for women in science begins even in school. In the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP), for example, girls win more medals at level 1 (Thursdays and Fridays grade of elementary school), but this number drops at level 2 (7th and 8th grade) and even more at level 3 (high school).

To change this situation, initiatives are trying to stimulate girls' interest and participation in scientific competitions.

Gabriela Alvim, 15, participated in the Girls in the Olympics project, which aims to stimulate young people's interest in pursuing careers in science and technology. The initiative, run by the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) with support from CNPq, operates in five public schools in the state of Rio de Janeiro, one of which is the Alberto José Sampaio Municipal School in Pavuna, where Gabriela studies. In the future, she plans to study Astronomy.

"The course helped me a lot to learn about other areas. I thought that to work with numbers and calculations I would have to be a math teacher. I always liked it, but I didn't think I would be able to. Seeing the teachers in the project was a huge incentive. If they could do it, I can too," says Gabriela, who is bothered by the lack of math teachers at her school.

The "Olympic Girls" project serves 18 girls in basic education, aged between 14 and 17. The project has five teachers and five undergraduate students from different public universities in Rio, and is supported by volunteer professors and researchers. According to the general coordinator, Leticia Rangel, women have much to contribute to the field:

"At school, it's common to say that boys are mischievous but intelligent, while girls are just hardworking. This is a cultural issue that we need to confront," says Rangel, adding that the project is enriching for the participating girls, but also for the future teachers involved: "They are taking this perspective on female segregation into their practice, and will train other girls to be even more aware."

Girls! Let's do Science! is a project of the Federal Center for Technological Education (Cefet) of Rio that holds lectures and activities to attract girls to the scientific world, mainly in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To this end, project participants go to public elementary schools to conduct experiments with female students and introduce them to great female scientists.

Dayse Pastore, the project coordinator, says she experienced gender inequality during her academic training. She believes that initiatives like "Girls! Let's do Science!" can help change this scenario.

— When I went to do my master's degree at IMPA, I was the only woman in a class of 12 students. That was shocking, and I felt alone. I believe and hope that this kind of encouragement will end that feeling of not belonging. I want these girls to see that that place is also theirs — says the professor, who has the help of undergraduate and high school students from Cefet to carry out the project. — We don't exclude boys from the activities, but we make a point of bringing girls to present the stories of other women scientists.

Democratizing the benefits of science is a very difficult task, and a specific segment of society has even more difficulty accessing knowledge and academic careers: Black women. With this in mind, Professor Zelia Ludwig created the "For Black Girls in Science" project at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF). The initiative has been running for two years and serves children from the age of 11. The goal is to bring science to marginalized areas, using Black women as role models.

"I started thinking about why there are so few Black female scientists and I went looking for what I could do to improve that. I created a project to empower girls through science," says Ludwig, who believes it's important that her project caters to everyone. "I don't exclude boys, because if we want to change something, we need to change their mindset too."

Through the "For Black Girls in Science" project, the teacher brings both established and up-and-coming figures in science to serve as role models for her Black female students. For Ludwig, the project is also a space for white teachers to learn about the realities of children from marginalized communities.

— When I started the activities, only the boys showed up. I tried to find out why the girls weren't going, and it wasn't because they weren't interested, but because they were overwhelmed, taking care of their brothers and the house. I try to make the boys understand that they need to share the activities with their sisters.

Another major incentive project is "Girls with Science," from the National Museum of UFRJ. The course for girls between 11 and 15 years old was developed by researchers, technicians, and postgraduate students from the museum's Department of Geology and Paleontology. Playful and educational activities about minerals, rocks, meteorites, plant and animal fossils address the importance of women's presence in these areas. Coordinator Luciana Witovisk explains that one of the objectives is to show that science in Brazil is also done by ordinary women.

The women involved in the project don't see themselves as stars or geniuses, so the girls identify with them and realize that it's possible to work in science.

In its first five editions, the project served 348 girls, and despite the fire that destroyed the museum building, including laboratories and exhibits used by the students, the sixth edition is underway. For Witovisk, who is a professor of Paleobotany, geology is a historically male-dominated field. The absence of girls is due both to a lack of encouragement and to social pressure.

— They created specific career paths that women should follow, such as in the health field. But to pursue a scientific career, you need to abandon the standards set by society.

Discover other initiatives that encourage girls and women in science:

Girls in Science (UFRGS) — https://www.ufrgs.br/meninasnaciencia/

There are Girls in the Circuit (UFRJ) — https://temmeninanocircuito.wordpress.com/

Scientists of the Pampa (Unipampa – Uruguaiana) —

https://cientistasdopampa.wixsite.com/elasporelas

Girls in Science (UNB) — https://www.meninasnacienciaunb.com.br/

SuperScientist Girls (IMECC – Unicamp) —

https://www.ime.unicamp.br/meninassupercientistas/

Engineers of Borborema —

http://cct.ufcg.edu.br/noticias/projeto-engenheiras-da-borborema-desenvolvido-na-ufcg-ganha-destaque-no-bom-dia-paraiba/