UCM starts academic year with exhibition on women scientists in Curicó

abril 15, 2024

«Without us there is no science» is the title of the exhibition that the Postgraduate Department of the Universidad Católica del Maule showed at the Curicó Extension Center.

The objective of the exhibition «Without us there is no science» is to highlight the contribution of women scientists to human progress. It was organized by the Postgraduate Department of the Universidad Católica del Maule (UCM), on the eve of 8M.

This is the reissue of an exhibition that took place last year at the San Miguel campus of the university.

«We commemorate International Women’s Day by being present in Curicó. We hope to inspire women and young people to pursue scientific careers like the women in the photographs. It is important to equalize the presence of women in all areas of knowledge, considering that the gap women participation in research is still stagnant, with 30% of those doing scientific work being women,» said the director of Postgraduate Studies of the university, Karina Vilches.

The exhibition, which receives visitors at the Curicó Extension, Art, and Culture Center, includes 16 portraits of pioneering women in the world of science.

«This exhibition is of high value because it makes contribution of women scientists in history and the contribution of UCM researchers in different areas of knowledge visible, which reaffirms the need to continue working so that academic spaces are spaces with gender equality and free of all forms of discrimination and violence,» said the director of Gender Equity and Diversity of the institution, María Paula Poblete.

The exhibition presents precursors such as Marie Curie, Mother of Modern Physics; Justicia Espada, recognized for her work in the design of the bridge over the Malleco River; Barbara McClintock, Nobel Prize in Medicine; and the inventor of the astrolabe Hypatia of Alexandria.

«I believe it is vital to promote and render visible the tremendous contribution of women in all areas of our lives, not only in the sciences, but also in art, academia, sports, in short, in all spheres of human endeavor. We hope that those who pass through Extensión Cultural in Curicó will stop to get to know them, value them and the fact that we will always have great women among us who make a difference and continue to contribute to the common good in a complex world with urgent needs», said the coordinator of the cultural center, Sebastián Leal.

Also taking part in the exhibition, which will remain open until the end of March, are Patricia Silva-Flores, PhD in Biological Sciences; Silvana Moris, PhD in Chemistry; Ingrid Carvacho, PhD in Science; Cristina Rodríguez, PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience and Specific Learning Needs; Laura Huidobro, an academic from the University’s School of Medicine; Sara Cuadros, PhD in Food Sciences; and Aparna Banerjee, PhD in Botany.

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