Sciences, féminin pluriel: How can women engage in science and technology?

On Thursday, Ferbruary 29th 2024, more than 100 people gathered at the Rolex Learning Center Forum for the event "Sciences, féminin pluriel". This constituted a unique opportunity to bring together women from various engineering professions to address the question: How can women engage in science and technology?

While the representation of female students at EPFL has increased over the past ten years, reaching 30% in 2024, many challenges persist for girls and women in accessing scientific studies and careers.

A round table involving EPFL alumnae, students, and professors addressed topics such as the importance of inspiring and shaping imagination from childhood, breaking gender stereotypes, and capitalizing on sisterhood.

The event also showcased various initiatives by EPFL to attract more women to scientific studies from an early age. A spotlight was placed on the Coding Club for Girls, one of EPFL's flagship initiatives launched in 2018 for girls aged 11 to 16 to address theses challenges.

At the end of the conference, the audience was invited to exchange and network over an aperitif, as well as to meet with associations and organizations advocating for equality in technical education and engineering careers.

Thank you to all the participants who contributed to the evening:

• Leïla Ojjeh (CGC’94), Director EPFL Alumni
• Kathryn Hess Bellwald, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Outreach, EPFL
• Julie Kummer, Journalist at Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS)
• Laetitia Henriot Arsever (IN’08), Head of Group IT & Digital at Valora, mentore at the Coding Club for Girls
  
• Gonxhe Idrizi (SC’22), IT Data Scientist at Procter & Gamble, former beneficiary and mediator of the Coding Club for Girls
  
• Manon Poffet (GM’20), Consultant at Helbling Business Advisors, member of the EPFL Alumni Women's Club commitee
• Gisou van der Goot, Vice President for Responsible Transformation, EPFL
• Sabrina Rammi Shojaei (PhD MT’98), Head of the Education Outreach Department, EPFL
• Farnaz Moser (CGC’86, PhD CGC’91), Head of the Science Outreach Department, EPFL
• Stella Ciana, former beneficiary of the Coding Club for Girls
  

A big thank you also to the associations present: EPFL Alumni Women's Club, EPFL WISH Foundation, Swiss TecLadies, Femme et sia - groupe Vaud, Professionnelles en Environnement - ffu-pee, NCCR Marvel, Projet de coopération genre et numérique, Service de Promotion des Sciences (SPS) EPFL, Service de Promotion de l'éduaction (SPE) EPFL, Tech4Eva.

Watch the entire event in the video :