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Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola [Lessons from 100 women with STEM expertise] E for ENGINEERING

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  • Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola [Lessons from 100 women with STEM expertise] E for ENGINEERING

On Monday 13 March, a new “E for Engineering” event was held for primary and secondary school teachers taking part in the first and second rounds of the project called “Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola”  [Lessons from 100 women with STEM expertise].

In conjunction with Deascuola (a leading Italian school textbook publisher), the first in a series of talks in a project called “Le 100 esperte STEM vanno a scuola” [Lessons from 100 women with STEM expertise] was held. The purpose of the project is to make teachers and their male and female pupils aware of the opportunities and prospects that await those who enter the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Recently identified by the Ministry of Education as a national educational priority, the study of STEM subjects not only opens the way to a career in the science professions, but also furthers the cause of gender equality.

E for Engineering was the focus of this webinar.

The first female naval engineer in history was Victoria Drummond. She began her career in 1915 and became the first woman member of the Institute of Marine Engineers, as well as the first woman to be inducted into Hall of Heroes. During World War II, she served at sea as an engineering officer in the British Merchant Navy.

Until a few decades ago, engineering faculties were made up entirely of men because prejudices and stereotypes ruled them out as a viable option for women. Today the situation is decidedly different in that there are women engineers. Yet they are not present in sufficient numbers to meet current demand or to realize future opportunities.

Sharing their experiences and offering support and career advice to girls as well as boys interested in exploring the field,  were Dr Bianca Maria Colosimo,  a management engineer and professor of processing technologies and systems at Politecnico di Milano, and Elizabeth Lamboglia, a cost engineer at the European Space Agency (ESA).