“Women are Science”: a book about women scientists in Colombia – science – life

We can all be scientists. This is one of the messages Women are scienceAnd A beautifully illustrated children’s book that brings together the stories of Colombian and Latin American women who built careers in different areas of the scientific world and who can serve as an example and inspiration for generations to come. girls NS Young who want to follow in his footsteps.

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This idea originated with one of the book’s authors, a professor at the National University Marcela Aragon, established in 2019, as the Academic Vice Dean for the College of Science, a chair dedicated to discussing science issues with the entire university community.

Named the Hypatia Chair in honor of the first female scientist in history, this space hosted guests, for its first session, female scientists who shared their professional experiences with the students.

“While working with students, 400 of different university professions, a frequent question was where is the literature on Colombian scholars and their contributions, and it’s not really easy to find,” says the teacher, who notes that this was the point at which the idea of ​​building a book that compiled these came into play. Stories with Professor Santiago Vargas.

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This has matured Children’s book, with the aim of contributing to improving access and equality for women in science by inspiring girls, boys and adolescents interested in pursuing a scientific career and dedicating themselves to it.

“It’s also a book so parents can tell these stories to their sons and daughters and motivate them, if science is really something that interests them,” says Professor Aragon.

Stories that are examples

The book brings together 20 stories of women (10 Colombian and 10 Latin American), which resulted from a selection process in which educators sought to highlight, in the case of our country, people who, in addition to being born in Colombia, had completed their university studies here, as a way to bring girls closer to their stories as much possible.

“We searched for the index of their publications, as well as those that have been awarded or have been nominated, such as, for example, Dr. Nubia Muñoz, who has been nominated for a Nobel Prize,” explains the professor.

The publication also highlights women who have been pioneers in their fields, such as Angela Camacho, the first Colombian woman to hold a PhD in physics, and Angela Restrepo, one of the first working in the field of microbiology.

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Those interested in accessing the book can download its digital copy for free from the site page From the Faculty of Science at the National University.

The authors hope that by the end of August it can be printed and sold at the publishing house of this institution; In addition, they are working to obtain agreements that will allow printing of editions that can be donated to children in rural areas. The idea is that it reaches as many hands as possible.

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