Dubai: «The Gulf»
A group of world scientists invited the next generation of girls to engage in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and this call came during a series of inspiring sessions held on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in the Field of Science, organized at Expo 2020 Dubai, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and advanced technology, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs.
Among the activities organized on the sidelines of this day was the event held at the “Meeting of Man and Planet Earth”, which addressed the contributions of women and girls in science and technology, and their achievements in these fields in the world, with the aim of inspiring young women and girls to go to study and work in these promising fields.
amazing women
During the session, Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the Emirates Space Agency, said, “We Emirati girls are grateful to be in the UAE, as it has given us unlimited support to learn and participate in all the sectors we desire, during all stages of our country’s progress. I had the privilege of working with wonderful women, especially on the scientific team of the UAE Mars Mission, where 80% of the team were women, and they are there, not because we impose a certain number, but because we provided equal opportunities for both sexes, and then we hired the best who applied for the job.
The L’Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science honored 14 women from the Middle East and North Africa region for their remarkable discoveries in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, during the Young Talents for Women in Science Program Awards in the Region, which was held at the “Expo” in earlier this week.
Great interest
Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi praised the great attention paid by the wise leadership of the country, and its keenness to enable women to participate in all career sectors, which contributes to the advancement and progress of the UAE.
“The UAE has always been proud of being a vivid and realistic example of the presence of women in the various scientific sectors, and today we have an astronaut, a fighter pilot, and a large number of female engineers, doctors and teachers working in many different fields,” she said.
This came during special statements by her to the “Expo News Services” team, on the sidelines of the discussion panel held, on Saturday evening, in the conference hall of the “Terra” Sustainability Pavilion, and organized by the Man and Planet Program in cooperation with the World Council, and the Australia and New Zealand pavilions, in the presence of a group of Successful female cadres in the fields of science, technical and technological matters.
Engineer Maryam Al Junaibi, Director of Nabta Company, spoke about her experience in studying science, and how she was able to turn her dream into a reality through the study. Today, I stand here as an example of the Emirati girl who was able to achieve scientific successes in studying science, specializing in agricultural engineering, and implementing the “Nabta” project, which is an important marketing platform for farm owners and agricultural companies.”
As for Professor Juliette Gerrard, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister in the New Zealand government, she said, “Society must encourage children in general to study science, because of its effective importance in practical life, and not to deprive girls of their legitimate right to continue their education in this field.”
Under the title “Bridging the Gender Gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Innovation,” Dr. Hayat Sindi, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Science, said, “Since my childhood, I have looked at scientists such as Jaber Ibn Hayyan, Ibn Sina, Einstein and others, and I wonder if these scientists are human beings like us? And then I started asking my father a lot of questions about scientists and about science, and he taught me everything I needed, and since childhood I wanted to be a scientist.”
“Studying physics has always been an exotic career choice for a young woman, and one that has to change culturally,” said Karen Hallberg, director of research at the Bariloche Atomic Center and winner of the 2019 L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Prize.
Dr. Shamila Bidwill, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at the United Nations Environment Program, highlighted the urgency of closing the gender gap. “We have achieved parity in Bachelors and Masters in STEM, but many of these graduates are choosing not to choose to embark on a research career,” she said. Or they leave the research profession prematurely.”
The participants agreed on the importance of these distinguished events hosted by Expo 2020 Dubai, for their great contribution to spreading knowledge in the world, motivating future generations to cooperate and work, participate in achieving sustainable development goals, and work to overcome the challenges facing humanity and bridge the gender gap.