As part of the celebrations for International Women’s Day, the Science Up Consortium at the University of Santiago, Chile, held the event “Science in Perspective.” This activity, organized by the Women’s Leadership and Participation Group, brought together the university community to analyze the historical and current issues faced by women scientists and to discuss new strategies to promote their future development.
“One of the most valuable aspects of the activities we carry out as a group is the transfer of experience, of the experiences of those who are in positions of power today to the younger generations. Whether through stories or mentoring, because that is how we all grow in the end,” said Professor Daniela Soto Soto, coordinator of the Women’s Leadership and Participation Group at the Faculty of Science.
These reflective activities began with short videos projected on the screens of each department and faculty. Joint responsibility and ways of growing in the field were the prelude, which was then expanded in the afternoon film screenings that began with the experience of the scientist Hypatia, through the film Agora (2009), and finally closed the event with the film Hidden Figures (2016), which tells the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, whose work was crucial in enabling NASA to put the first American astronaut into orbit.
During the event, recognition was given to the eleven authors of “11F en Breves 2025,” (stories that celebrated the Day of Women and Girls in Science in February of this year. The stories revealed the diversity of women’s experiences in science, from their first childhood encounters with scientific phenomena that sparked their vocations to questions about what it means to be a scientist today. The stories also addressed issues such as motherhood in science and experiences in various territories, including research in Antarctica.
“I work with mammalian, fish, and cancer cells. My life is making them grow, and sometimes they don’t, despite controlled conditions. Suddenly, I find myself with this little girl, who came out of me, out of my stem cells, and you try to do the same thing you do in the lab, give her the conditions to grow. For me, it’s my life, what I wrote. We are not just researchers, we are a community, so I invite others to participate because they have experiences that are worth sharing,” said Sofía Michelson Quintana, PhD student and author of “Células de Madre” (Mother Cells).
Addressing gaps in scientific careers through the transfer of experiences
How does mentoring promote the development of new generations of women scientists? This was the central theme of the discussion that brought together mentors and mentees from Usach to share their personal experiences and those of their pairs in the Science Up 2024 Mentoring Program, a meeting that explored the impact of this initiative on the training and professional growth of young women researchers.
“I was in a pretty complex process with my PhD, the qualifying exam, working, and being a mom. Being with Dr. Yolanda Vargas was relaxing. She helped me manage my emotions and the stress I was experiencing. This program gave me so much academically, professionally, and personally. It helped me accept frustration, because sometimes experiments don’t work out and you have to accept that, then start over. There’s nothing wrong with that,” said Claudia Díaz Beas, a PhD student in chemistry at Usach and mentee.
What was the key? Many mentors agreed that it was the training they received before forming the pairs, where the SEDA model (Tune In, Listen, Challenge, and Contribute) learned by established scientists in the training sessions with Comunidad Mujer proved to be essential in this process, said Dr. Daniela Geraldo, mentor and CEO of Breaking Cupper. This was also supported by mentor Dr. Mónica Imarai Bahamonde, former director of the Center for Aquaculture Biotechnology, who highlighted the importance of the personal approach that allowed them to frame the conversation.
This strategy, applied internationally to close gender gaps in university communities, has proven effective, as highlighted by Dr. Yenniffer Ávalos Carrasco, director of the Gender, Diversity, and Equity Office at Usach, who cited the example of the universities in Berlin where, after implementation, around 50% of mentees obtained academic positions.
“Although this strategy is not yet institutionalized, we are working towards that goal. The invitation is two-way, to continue along these lines of coordination, working and seeing how we can promote these initiatives so that they are not an isolated effort dependent on a consortium that lasts for a limited time, but rather an effort of the institution,” said Professor Ávalos.
“It was an extremely enriching experience with a small group of six pairs. We hope to be able to replicate it annually and that our current mentees will become future mentors, thus expanding the scope of the program. We appreciate this perspective, which presents a challenge for both our department and the Consortium,” responded Dr. Claudia Ortiz Calderón, coordinator of the Women’s Leadership and Participation Department of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology at Usach, in response to the DGDE director’s remarks.