Five women from the public and private research fields shared their experiences on the Vigo campus this Thursday at the Women Who Lead conference, an initiative promoted by the Research Center for Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes of the University of Vigo, Cintecx, and the technology center Aimen with the aim of promoting the continuity of the research career of women working in these fields by giving them guidelines to follow that help them forge a successful professional career.
The director of Cintecx, Ángeles Sanromán, opened the conference by highlighting the need to retain and support female talent in research and reviewing the milestones in equality achieved by the center. “The number of women enrolled in different degrees in the field of engineering remains much lower than that of men, being barely circumstantial in electrical and electronic engineering, and practically non-existent in mechanical engineering.” Sanromán also presented the center’s mentoring program, which seeks to exchange experiences, knowledge and skills between people with a long career, mentors, and those who are currently studying, with the aim of promoting the continuity of research careers.
The importance of “having references”
“Through this type of event, in which we have the experience of women with a wide career, we can extract learning and knowledge that will help other researchers who are in the early stages to continue their work and have references to look up to.”
Next, Luz Herrero, coordinator of the Environmental Technologies Unit at Aimen, reviewed her 20 years of experience at this technology center, commenting on the challenges she has had to face in coordinating projects of varying scope, offering a summary of guidelines and advice to follow. Herrero highlighted that increasing leadership and coordination requires greater dedication to management, although perhaps that part is not so attractive but it is also necessary.
Many useful tips told in the first person
Next, Cintecx researcher Aida Díez Saraiba provided a series of useful tips summarized in a decalogue, highlighting the importance of “being persevering and having self-esteem, believing in yourself and your idea, and learning from proposals that are not achieved in order to improve”. The researcher highlighted that she has never felt discriminated against on grounds of gender or age and stated that she feels “that they take my opinion into account. I don’t notice any major problems.”
For her part, researcher Concepción Paz, former director of Cintecx, pointed out during her speech that, despite the fact that much progress has been made and it is becoming less and less common to find gender discrimination in this area, it is still necessary to hold these types of events because these situations still exist and the percentage of female students is still much lower than that of male students in this area. “We are still not able to attract female talent in our area. There is a lot of work to be done.”
Paz also pointed out that the Mechanical Engineering degree did not have any female students out of a total of 38 students. “When I started, I was the second woman in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and, today, out of a total of 65 people, we are three women, not counting the group of students. I was the first female director of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Thermal and Fluid Machines and Engines.” “We have to be competent and training is essential. Cintecx promotes the culture of academic life, training and qualification programs in the use of equipment, mentoring programs, because it is vital to be integrated, connected, immersed in how research is done and what path to take in each situation,” Paz pointed out.
Importance of the industry-University connection
From Aimen, Afra María Pertusa Llopis and Lourdes Blanco Salgado also shared the evolution throughout their careers at Aimen from a junior perspective in the area of robotics and senior in materials, respectively. Blanco highlighted as advice the importance of staying updated and up to date with the news that emerge in the field of study on which the projects are developed.
Likewise, the speakers highlighted the importance of having an environment that connects industry with technological centers and the university, being aware that this ecosystem can work and that “we are not isolated entities”.