Festival: Women and Girls in Science, a Possible Dream

Karla Nando

The Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) joined in the commemoration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with a special program on Sunday, February 11th, at the "Luis Enrique Erro" Planetarium, which promoted women's participation in the fields of research and scientific outreach.

In a joyful atmosphere with various interactive activities, multimedia projections dedicated to scientists like Marie Curie, lectures, and workshops on science, robotics, and astronomical observation, families from Mexico City and the Metropolitan Area enjoyed a warm Sunday together with their daughters and sons.

During the Festival, the talk titled "Artemis Mission" presented by Danna Ximena Sánchez Hernández, better known as Danna Ximena Astro, stood out. At only 15 years old, she disseminates scientific and technological topics through her social networks and is passionate about creating content about astronomy.

The "Artemis Mission" is a spaceflight program by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that, after 52 years without expeditions, aims to return humans to the Moon and also to send a woman for the first time. The astronaut Christina Koch, distinguished for holding the record for staying 328 days in space, will be the astronaut, detailed the speaker.

Danna, a high school student at the Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico City Campus, explained that more than 60 women have been to space, but due to gender disparity, they are not as recognized as men. She mentioned the Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova as the first woman in space, the Americans Sally Ride and Kathryn de Sullivan, as well as the distinguished Mexican astronaut Katia Echazarreta.

The young science communicator commented that in the future, her dream is to study Mechatronic Engineering at IPN or Aerospace Engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico to work in a space agency. Additionally, she shared a message for girls who aspire to study STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) careers, encouraging them not to be afraid and to dare to learn and become passionate about these branches of knowledge.

Gaceta Politécnica #1776. (February 15th, 2024). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here.