To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11th) and International Women’s Rights Day (March 8th), the École normale supérieure, its departments, and the ENS Foundation are organizing a series of events. These will highlight the importance of women’s roles in science, with the intention of promoting scientific careers and studies to middle- and high-school girls.
Roundtables, conferences, discussions, and even a Wikithon will aim to raise public awareness—especially among middle- and high-school students—about the journeys of women scientists from past to present, highlight their contributions to scientific discoveries, and encourage young women to pursue studies in these fields.
“In France, women scientists remain a minority. This disparity does not reflect differences between the sexes in the scientific field, but results from social norms and cultural constructs that shape every moment of life, from childhood to adulthood: at school and university, in domestic and professional spheres, on social networks and Wikipedia, and even in prestigious awards like the Nobel Prize. This underrepresentation of women in science comes at a high cost to society. By depriving ourselves of half the talent, we limit our ability to innovate and tackle the major challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, health crises, and humanitarian emergencies. However, this situation is not inevitable! Solutions exist, and a more equal society is possible. That is why ENS-PSL is committed to supporting Women and Girls in Science.”
— Charlotte Jacquemot, Cognitive Science Researcher, Director of the Department of Cognitive Studies, and Equality Officer at ENS.
More specifically, the patrons and friends of the ENS Foundation are invited to the roundtable discussion “Visible Women” on March 4 at 6:30 PM. Held in the Jean Jaurès amphitheater at 29 rue d’Ulm, the event will bring together Mercedes Erra, President of the BETC agency; Karine Lacombe, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Sorbonne University Faculty of Health and Hospital Practitioner in Infectious Diseases, Head of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department at Saint-Antoine Hospital; Charlotte Jacquemot, Cognitive Science Researcher at CNRS, Director of the Department of Cognitive Studies at ENS, and Equality Officer at ENS; Clotilde Policar, Chemist, Professor at ENS-PSL, and Director of Science Studies at ENS; and Valentine Blanpain, a student at the Department of Mathematics and Applications at ENS. Through their discussions, they will explore the challenges faced by women in the public sphere—whether those in positions of power, those who speak out against injustices, or those in leadership roles.
For several years, the École normale supérieure has been actively working to increase the number of female students in its scientific departments. The Women and Science scholarship program, supported by the ENS Foundation, grants a monthly scholarship of €1,000 to every female student admitted through the Concours Normalien Étudiant in the physics, mathematics, and computer science departments. In just two years, this program has enabled the physics and mathematics departments to welcome their first gender-balanced CNE cohort.
The full program and registration details for Women and Girls in Science Month at ENS-PSL are available on the school’s website:
https://www.ens.psl.eu/actualites/l-ens-une-ecole-engagee-pour-les-femmes-et-filles-de-sciences