The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in order to promote full and equal access and participation for women and girls in science. 11 February is an opportunity to celebrate the essential role that women and girls play in science and technology.

As it does every year, CERN is partnering up with research institutions in the local region to celebrate this day by organising local activities for all ages.

From 7 to 11 February 2022, almost sixty volunteers, all female scientists and engineers from CERN, Scienscope (UNIGE), the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Annecy Particle Physics Laboratory (LAPP) will be visiting local schools, either in person or virtually, to talk to the pupils about their professions. They will visit more than 110 classes in the local area (canton of Geneva, Pays de Gex and Greater Annecy).

The female scientists and engineers will talk about how they got to where they are today, offer an insight into the projects and experiments on which they are working, and maybe even give some practical demonstrations. The aim is to change how young people in our region view scientific, technical and technological professions and to show them that STEM careers are just as accessible to girls as to boys. And, who knows, the presentations might even help some to discover their vocation!

And there’s something for grown-ups too! CERN will be hosting a screening of the feature film Picture a Scientist at 8.00 p.m. on 10 February at the Globe of Science and Innovation. This documentary (in English with French subtitles) follows the careers of researchers who are blazing the trail for women in science. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion (in English with simultaneous French interpretation) with experts in matters of gender and diversity in the sciences.

For more information and to sign up: http://voisins.cern/fr/events