International Day of Women and Girls in Science

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, proclaimed by the United Nations to promote full and equal access and participation of women and girls in science, is celebrated on 11 February. Once again this year, the Faculty of Informatics of Università della Svizzera italiana took the opportunity to bring together USI students, researchers and professors for a moment of dialogue and exchange on its activities. 

Science and gender equality are vital for achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past decades, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in this field. To achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.

Laura Pozzi, professor of USI Faculty of Informatics, together with researcher Ilaria Scarabottolo, proposed again this year an informal meeting between Bachelor's, Master's, PhD students, and professors of the Faculty to share a moment of exchange and underline the importance of their testimony of women active in science. "These encounters generate a sense of community," says Professor Pozzi, "a feeling that is reinforced year after year. The upright nature of the meeting is wonderful, as it allows us to share opinions, feelings and experiences within a group that is heterogeneous in terms of roles within the Faculty, yet homogeneous in terms of belonging. Other activities organised by the Faculty of Informatics with this aim include the National Future Day - during which we invite middle school students to our campus to explore the beauty of Informatics and scientific thinking". 

Gender equality and diversity advocacy are among the goals in USI's Strategic Planning 2021-2024. Gender equality has not yet been achieved, both in numbers and in practice, so it is necessary to keep striving in this direction: the Action Plan for Equal Opportunities at USI is one of the tools to do so. USI's action is part of a well-defined and coherent framework of cantonal, federal, and international policies. The road has been paved; we must follow it with determination.