Campaign promotes a vocation for science among girls

27 March, 2019 / Read time: 2 minutes

Eight women scientists -female role models in astronomy, engineering, information sciences and physics- inspire young people across Chile through a web series on YouTube, targeted at younger generations to spark their passion for sciences. These 9 documentaries - half of them featuring ALMA women - form part of the PROVOCA campaign.

ALMA’s North American partners, Associated Universities Inc. and the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory (AUI/NRAO), join forces with Fundación Belén Educa, are behind this campaign that seeks to promote scientific vocations in girls. “This campaign places an emphasis on diversity and inclusion from a gender perspective but also in recognition of lower-income groups, indigenous people, immigrants and people with disabilities, who have traditionally been underrepresented,” indicates Paulina Bocaz, AUI/NRAO representative in Chile and leader of PROVOCA. “Diverse life experiences enrich our educational and work spaces, which not only increases equality but also results in better performance.”

Although female enrollment in higher education has increased considerably over the past decade in Chile, according to UNESCO, Chile is one of the Latin American countries with the lowest proportion of women graduating from the fields of science, technology, engineering and math on a university level (18% in 2015).

Sean Dougherty, director of ALMA Observatory, added that “we strongly support all activities that encourage young people to participate in careers in science, technology, engineering and math, especially young women, as we strive to maintain a balanced, diverse and multicultural team. This is a goal of utmost importance for a multinational observatory that is a global leader like ALMA.”

Watch here the web series:

Poster of the "Provoca" Campaign (in Spanish)