Noticias en español
- ‘Periodic Table of Chilean Women Scientists’ is the name of the initiative promoted by this public entity to make visible the work of pioneering women scientists in STEM areas.
There are 118 female researchers from ten areas of knowledge and who work in Chilean institutions that make up the list prepared by the Library of the National Congress (BCN) in the context of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which is celebrated every February 11.
Two of them are members of the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM) of the University of Chile: Maya Stein from the same university and Jessika Camaño Valenzuela from the U. Católica de la Santísima Concepción.
The BCN initiative is entitled ‘Periodic Table of Chilean Women Scientists‘ and seeks to make visible women scientists who have been distinguished with national and international awards for their role as pioneers in traditionally male fields, their contribution to scientific dissemination, the generation of new knowledge and their contribution to the training of new generations.
The table includes a card for each of the recognized women scientists describing their respective careers. In the case of Camaño, it reports her participation in the ‘Inspiradoras’ project of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (CTCI) in conjunction with the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity (in 2023) to promote the knowledge of the infant-juvenile population about the possibilities of development of girls and women in STEM areas.
“Being an example for other female researchers is a very rewarding experience, something I did not expect, but that I value enormously,” said the UCSC academic. “Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to face challenges, learn from my mistakes and celebrate achievements, and I believe that sharing these moments can be of great help to younger researchers. Collaboration and the exchange of experiences are fundamental to foster an environment of growth and empowerment in science, and I feel privileged to be able to contribute to this.”
“For me,” Camaño -also a researcher of the DSALT Group Project and the Center for Research in Mathematical Engineering, CI²MA, of the U. de Concepción- emphasized ‘it is an honor to see that the work I have developed together with other researchers in the area is valued in the framework of such a significant initiative as the ’Periodic Table of Chilean Women Scientists’.”
“This type of recognition motivates me to continue contributing to the development of science and outreach in Chile, and reinforces my commitment to continue working with dedication in research and also in the promotion of gender equality in the scientific field,” emphasized Camaño.
Equity advances
Regarding Maya Stein, alternate director and academic director of the MWC, the publication highlights that she has made relevant contributions in combinatorics: tree fitting in graphs/digraphs with minimum degree conditions; monochromatic coverings; coloring algorithms with forbidden subgraphs; and that she has participated in more than 60 publications in prestigious journals of the discipline.
“This work has its international recognition by frequent invitations to plenary talks and participation in different initiatives. I assumed leadership positions in the international community, in addition to editorial positions in several journals. One of these editorial positions is special for me: I am one of the founders and one of four editors-in-chief in a ‘diamond open access’ (open science) journal, ‘Innovations in Graph Theory’ that we launched a year and a half ago, with much success so far.”
For the U. de Chile researcher, there has been progress in termsof gender equity in this area of knowledge in our country. “Things changed a lot since I started, I remember that when I entered the doctorate there were very few female professors and very few female students (none that I knew in the doctorate), and my decision to continue with mathematics and do the doctorate was a little thinking that we have to change this, I have to stay to change this. Then as a postdoc I went to several events where I was the only woman, Also, the names behind almost all the theorems and conjectures I saw were male, it was a man’s world.”
“I am happy that now I can better contribute to this change,” she says, ”through visibility projects such as the periodic table, which seems to me a very nice and successful initiative, my congratulations to its creators. I am happy to have been selected, sharing it with so many women with impressive achievements, and I hope that this table will serve as an inspiration to many people, particularly young women in Chile who are considering a career as a researcher in STEM subjects”.
Por Iván R. Tobar Bocaz, periodista del Centro de Modelamiento Matemático, Concepción.
Posted on Mar 7, 2025 in News
