The auditorium at Monserrate Secondary School in Viana do Castelo held an event called “The Future of Women in Science” on Friday. This session focused on talking about the difficulties, career choices, and chances available for women in science and technology.
The debate was led by Katalin Gönczy, who works as a Public Relations advisor at the European Parliament. It also included input from Ana Teodoro, who is the vice-president of the Order of Engineers, Ricardo Afonso, the director of the Monserrate School Group, and Manuel Vitorino, the vice-president of the Viana do Castelo City Council.
Representation, space and corporate responsibility
One of the main speakers was Zita Martins, an astrobiologist from Instituto Superior Técnico, who talked about the need for more women in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.
Cláudia Mendes Silva, who works as the Sustainability Manager at Siemens Portugal and also leads the Women in Tech initiative globally, emphasizes the role of companies in creating equal opportunities and fostering inclusive work environments.
The audience also listened to Ana Pires, a researcher at INESC TEC, who became the first Portuguese woman to finish a NASA scientist-astronaut program. She talked about her time leading the CAMÕES mission, which was Portugal's first analog space mission.
The closing statements were given by MEP Catarina Martins, who emphasized the importance of public policy in promoting gender equality in science and innovation.
The initiative ended with a roundtable discussion called “Women in Science: Challenges, Paths, and Future,” which emphasized the need to encourage young people to consider careers in research, technology, and innovation.
The event was put together by the Order of Engineers – Northern Region along with the EPAS (European Parliament Ambassador Schools) project.
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