To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the XMM2ATHENA team has carried out several activities. You can see them below.
XMM2ATHENA contribution
XMM2Athena is joining the celebrations of the International Day of Girls and Women in Science with the aim of showing the contributions of women to science and in particular to the field of astronomy and astrophysics.
This year we present a joint international initiative of the Athena Community Office, the XMM2Athena project, the X-IFU and WFI consortia and the AHEAD2020 project launching a call for AstroSciku. An AstroSciku is an adaptation of the Japanese haiku poem form, seeking the same simplicity and capture of the moment, but focused on astronomy and, for this contest, with a gender perspective. Although there are several variants of the Scikus we will follow the traditional 3 lines long, written in English with 5-7-5 syllabic structure and no-rhyming lines (look at The Sciku project website and Twitter for help and ideas!). Participants should draw inspiration from discoveries or research made by women astronomers and astrophysicists (from all times) to create their AstroSciku. Each AstroSciku must be original and contain, in addition to the 3 verses, a title related either to the scientist to whom it refers to or to the context. Themes about high-energy astrophysics will be especially valued.
IRAP contribution
Women in Science: Working on the Athena space mission
On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the IRAP Athena X-IFU team is organising a meeting with high school students on the theme “Women in Science: Working on the Athena Space Mission”. During this meeting, several women scientists and engineers working on the Athena mission will present their experiences and their role in the development of a high-tech scientific instrument.
More information: https://www.irap.omp.eu/event/femmes-en-science-travailler-sur-la-mission-spatiale-athena/
IFCA contribution
II encounter with women scientists
An online meeting between schoolchildren and scientists will be organised on 11 February. Students who register for the activity will have a team of women scientists from different fields at their side so that they can ask them their questions or express their concerns.
Chat with an Astronomer
On 17 February 2022, from 10 am to 10 pm (Iberian Peninsula time), the 5th edition of the activity “Chat with an Astronomer” will take place in the framework of 11 February: International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This activity is organised by the Women and Astronomy Commission of the Spanish Astronomy Society and the PureChat platform.
The main objective of “Chat with an Astronomer” is to bring current science closer to the general public through its female protagonists, thus giving visibility to their presence and relevance. “Chat with an Astronomer” is a unique outreach activity because it is available to anyone with an internet connection, no matter how remote their location, and because it provides a direct and private platform for conversation between professional astrophysicists and the general public.
Expanding science
This initiative allows high schools and secondary schools to have an IFCA researcher giving a seminar on diverse fields of physics, either online or on-site.
During the activities scheduled for the 11 February celebration, the talks given were: On the shoulder of (women) giants and Women scientists in the cinema and the TV
Workshops
This initiative is open to the general public. To learn more about X-rays and how to help the scientific community, a workshop will be held: Universe in X-rays: Citizen Science with CLAXSON
