CERSusChem takes part in global initiative encouraging women’s presence in Science

The Center of Excellence for Research in Sustainable Chemistry (CERSusChem) took part in the Global Women’s Breakfast, an event held last week in celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and promoted by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. In São Carlos, the roundtable discussion was organized through an initiative coordinated by the Department of Chemistry (DQ) and the Graduate Program in Chemistry (PPGQ) of the Federal University of São Carlos, with simultaneous activities at the Sorocaba campus. The program was designed by Professor Arlene Gonçalves Corrêa, coordinator of CERSusChem, and Professor Lucia Helena Mascaro Sales, researcher at CERSusChem and director of the Center for the Development of Functional Materials (CEPID), one of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (CEPID) supported by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

The meeting brought together women from different generations with distinguished careers in Chemistry to discuss women’s presence in both academic and scientific environments and in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship. The objective was to share experiences and foster dialogue on challenges related to gender inequalities in academia and industry, reflecting on the importance of equity and representation in these spaces. In this context, the activity provided, especially for younger participants, the opportunity to gain new references and inspiration from diverse trajectories, meeting professionals who began their training at the undergraduate level through research experience initiated during undergraduate education and went on to consolidate careers of excellence in Brazil.

Among the invited speakers, it was an honor to welcome Professor Yvonne Primerano Mascarenhas, the first woman to hold a faculty position in the Department of Physics at the School of Engineering of São Carlos (EESC) of the University of São Paulo (USP), in 1956, and one of the pioneers in the founding of the Institute of Chemistry and Physics of São Carlos. Although retired from USP, she remains active as a practicing researcher and coordinates a project aimed at complementing science education in public schools in the municipality. In her talk, she presented numerous examples of women’s historical contributions to scientific knowledge, addressed women’s participation in undergraduate programs, and highlighted the relevance of affirmative action policies within universities.

Also participating were Valéria Moraes Longo, founder and director of Katléia Lab, representing women’s presence in industry, and Professor Maria de Jesus Dutra dos Reis, Vice-Rector of UFSCar, who shared reflections on the importance of the university as a space for building critical thinking. The event also featured researchers Penina Sousa Mourão, a PhD student in the PPGQ, who shared her moving journey from her initial training at the State University of Piauí to graduate studies at UFSCar, and Ana Beatriz Cardile, an undergraduate student in the DQ, who has been involved in research projects since high school and now encourages adolescents to follow this path. Watch highlights from the event in the video available on our YouTube channel at the link: https://youtu.be/uWSrTZFBLpg?si=LddPzYlWmFkj3zQ5