How can we promote careers in scienece for girls?

The starting point is a perception of S&T which confirms the current stereotypes, as with other large surveys, such as the Eurobarometer. In particular, the exact sciences are generally considered to be more difficult than human studies, as they would imply a special talent. On the other hand, technology involves a lot of sawing: being a hands-on activity, many students think that you need to be physically strong and that you get dirty, leading them to think that it is more a field for boys than for girls. Sciences and technology arouse spontaneous positive feelings amongst our participants.

We didn't find any conclusive differences between the two genders in terms of education choices and job opportunities. It is worrying that students do not seem to have a clear concept of the professions available. Their frame of reference is primarily the subjects they have at school and the experiments they perform there. In particular, participants call for a better knowledge of the S&T professions: all our participants told us of the importance of practice in S&T, and they see S&T as strongly linked with reality. In order to come closer to S&T, gaining experience with science and technology since an early age emerged to be very important.

Moreover, a change in stereotypes has to be carried out starting from teachers, role models, from the meetings with S&T professionals in schools, science centres, museums, and through the media, in fiction and advertising, by filming interviews with young and dynamic role models, both for boys and girls. Practically, a direct participation and a 'science and scientific careers in action' approach is desired as much as possible.

Based on a “philosophy of practice” the schools interested will develop a series of Pilot Activities (PA). The PA are implemented to integrate the learning process at school with practical activities that provide students with an insight about “what is behind a scientific career”, in terms of meaning, models and diversity of professions connected to science and technology. Therefore, the involvement of school teachers, students and professionals in S&T underlies all the activities.

The PA consist in activities which spur young people towards a scientific interdisciplinary view, more capable to meet the complexity of the contemporary world, explaining how science and technology are connected to their everyday life, and giving them a modern vision of science, on the one hand, while exploring the gender gap in science and technology professions.

The PA structure can be subdivide in two main steps:

The first one is a meeting (Open Space Technology workshop) with the scientist, parents, students , policy makers, etc… for to discuss directly with him /her about the topic of research and new application in the future for to understand the curricula necessary to arrive at same job. At the end of the OST you will have to choose the activities to be tested in the research centers involved

The second one is to do practical educational activities in the scientific lab of the research Institute involved.

As an example, in other project, the scientific and technological Institution involved have proposed many subject as new building materials; educational activities of basic physic, chemistry, nano electronics, seismic and volcanology, connecting to actuality studies and problems of real life.

The teachers and scientists will work together to define the models of the activities and structures of meeting, for to stimulate and to make curious the students, particularly girls to scientific and technological studies and relative careers.

The time necessary to do the PA described before is:

1 mouth for to organize the OST event.

1 day for the OST event.

2 mouth for to organize the program of PA (activities in the research labs) in collaboration with all research institutions involved;

3 mouths for to experimentation PA with world of research and classrooms involved.

1 mouth for to elaborate the final report.

In conclusion, it can be said that the results of the educational activities provided, in our opinion, an important contribution to the subject of women in science and in technology, by investigating among younger children the causes that determine their professional choices, proposing integrated actions among the world of school, the scientific community, and society in general.

So greater involvement of schools in training activities could provide a valid contribution to the changing of roles and of stereotypes that are still quite present in today's society and that influence future choices, especially for girls.

The result is the identification of new and viable methods to make science centres and schools work together, directly involving the world of research. The purpose of the PA proposed is to provide good ideas to bring two distant worlds, young people and science and technological careers, closer in a practical ways. 

RRI principles

One of the key aspects of OSOS is the inclusion of RRI — Responsible Research and Innovation — principles (more information at RRI-Tools.eu).

This is how this Accelerator fits into the RRI model: