Curiosity, role models and direct contact with real science can shape a vocation for a lifetime. Natalia Moreno, a researcher at IDAEA-CSIC, explains how the Magnet programme brings science into classrooms and why it is so important for girls to see women working in research.
Natàlia Moreno, researcher at IDAEA-CSIC and scientific coordinator of the Magnet Alliance
For a decade now, 11 February has been celebrated as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with a dual objective. On the one hand, it aims to make visible the work of women who dedicate themselves to science and technology (STEM) in order to promote the presence of female role models from childhood. On the other hand, it seeks to explore the different factors that affect the current situation of women in this field and thus encourage practices that lead to gender equality in the scientific sphere.
Science communication becomes a powerful tool to achieve these goals and to spark scientific vocations from an early age. One example is the Magnet programme. This alliance between research centres and schools aims to improve educational success and equity, while turning science into an exciting field and making the work of real women scientists visible.
One of the coordinators of this alliance between the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) and the Escola Mas Falcó is Natàlia Moreno. An environmental mineralogist and senior scientist at IDAEA-CSIC, her academic career has been marked by her role as head of the X-ray laboratory at the research centre. We spoke with her about her experience in the Magnet project and its potential to awaken scientific vocations among younger girls.
Question. How does IDAEA contribute to teachers’ work and students’ learning through Magnet?
Answer. The collaboration between IDAEA and the Magnet programme began about a year and a half ago. The match between IDAEA and the public school Mas Falcó arose from the school’s interest in working on environmental topics such as climate change and pollution. The school wanted to rely on IDAEA’s expert scientific knowledge to strengthen its educational project in this area, so we began preparing sessions with practical activities together with the teaching staff.
One of the main objectives of the alliance is for the school and its teachers to gradually gain autonomy and to observe how their way of understanding and working with science changes over time. Teachers are also supported by being provided with useful tools to work on scientific topics. Teachers are very skilled in pedagogy, psychology and everything that being an educator entails, but researchers can help to think about how to approach certain scientific contents. Sometimes, just having a researcher visit the school for a single day already has a very enriching impact.
Q. What changes have you observed in the school and the community since joining Magnet?
A. It is not the same to visit a school occasionally to run a workshop as it is to be part of a four-year continuous project like Magnet, which truly transforms the school’s identity. For us, as researchers, this process is very rewarding.
A clear example of this impact is what the school management has told us. This year, during the open days, some families showed interest in the school because of the added educational value provided by Magnet.
This change is largely due to word of mouth. Being a Magnet school has spread throughout the neighbourhood and has generated a different kind of interest in the centre. Families look for added value, learn about the projects being carried out and talk about them among themselves, which shows that the programme’s impact goes beyond the classroom and also reaches the community.
Q. In the context of 11 February, would you say that the programme has an impact on girls?
A. As for the direct impact on girls, it is still difficult to detect clearly. The programme’s footprint is more easily perceived at a social level, as I mentioned before, in the neighbourhood or even in the city of Barcelona. However, in the specific case of girls, this is longer-term work whose results are not always immediate.
Even so, it is important to continue along this path. Many scientific vocations are born thanks to specific role models, such as teachers who spark interest and curiosity. In my own case, my decision to pursue a career in science was strongly influenced by teachers who were able to transmit that passion to me. That is why it is essential to work at early ages, especially in primary school, where it is easier to connect with students’ natural curiosity and generate positive role models. In the context of 11 February, I believe it is important for girls to see women who work in science.
Fieldwork in the Collserola forest with 5th-grade students from Mas Falcó school. Activity carried out as part of the Magnet Alliance
Q. Why is it important for girls to have female role models in science?
A. Having female role models is essential for girls to see themselves as future scientists. They do not necessarily have to be interested in this professional path, but above all, they should not see it as something impossible for them. Girls start forming opinions about what they like from primary school onwards, so having close role models can be decisive.
Q. From your experience, what are the main obstacles for women in STEM?
A. Although today public policies offer more equal access to parental leave and job opportunities, there are still significant limitations for women in science, especially when we are mothers. For example, in my generation there was no paternity leave like there is now, and although these policies have improved, there are still situations that generate bias, such as the gender pay gap. This pay gap often means that reduced working hours fall to mothers, as this is usually the most convenient option for the family economy, thus revealing a structural and persistent bias.
In addition, scientific work often involves travel and demanding schedules, which is particularly difficult for mothers who have to take care of young children. These difficulties contribute to what is known as the “leaky pipeline effect”, reflected in the fact that as one moves up the scientific career ladder, there is a much higher percentage of men in senior positions than women.
Therefore, although equality has improved, it is essential to recognise and make these limitations visible in order to correct biases and encourage more women to fully develop their scientific careers.
Q. What would you say to a girl who wants to pursue a career in science but does not have many role models or has doubts?
A. I would tell her that if she feels passion for science, or for anything she likes, she should not let anything stop her. Even if her family cannot afford university or further studies, there are always scholarships and support for those who make an effort and want to learn. It is not only about university: if she wants to train in any trade or discipline, she will surely find a way to do so.
Even if today she does not have many women scientists close to her, there are many women who have done science before her and who can inspire her. Knowing these examples and being able to say “I want to be like her when I grow up” helps to imagine a possible future.
The most important thing is that she does not set limits for herself. If she feels curiosity or a calling for something, she should move forward with confidence and without fear.
Julen Segura Abarrategui
Predoctoral researcher at IDAEA-CSIC
