L’Oréal Italia today announced the six winners of the 20th Italian edition of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Award “For Women and Science” in the presence of the Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Elena Bonetti Family. During the ceremony that took place in Milan at the National Museum of Science and Technology, the Minister of University and Research Maria Cristina Messa also spoke with a written message.
Also in this edition, six scholarships worth 20,000 euros each were awarded to as many researchers under 35, on the basis of the recognized excellence of their projects in the fields of life and material sciences. The announcement of this edition has collected 250 applications from all over Italy.
From 2002 to today 106 young scientists, thanks to the scholarship of the L’Oréal – UNESCO project, have been able to carry out their research projects in our country. It must be said that L’Oréal’s is the first international award dedicated to women working in the scientific sector. Since 1998, 3,900 female researchers from over 110 countries have been supported in their career path. Five of these scientists, after winning the L’Oréal-UNESCO prize, have been awarded the Nobel Prize: among them Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.
The gap is still large. According to recent UNESCO data, the number of women pursuing scientific careers is on the rise but only one in three female researchers is a woman globally. In the world of research, the glass ceiling persists: only 14% of high-level academic positions in Europe are held by women and, in the last decade, only 8% of the Nobel prizes in science have been awarded to women .
The six winners
The winners of this year’s edition are Chiara Borsari with the project: Innovative antiglycolytic strategies based on the selective activation of covalent inhibitors in the tumor (University of Milan, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences). Marisa Brienza with the project Explosions from the past: low frequency radio observations to study the life and effects of supermassive black holes (National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF): Institute of Radio Astronomy (IRA) & Observatory of astrophysics and space science (OAS ), Bologna). Martina Cecchetti with the project: Predation of vulnerable species by domestic cats on the island of Linosa, biodiversity hotspot (Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin: Data Analysis and Modeling Unit). Agnese Chiatti with the project Neuro-symbolic methods to improve the visual intelligence of robots: the case of precision agriculture (Host Institute: C1 – Internal use Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano: Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics). Vittoria Laghi with the project: How to use metal 3D printing to create highly efficient reticular structural elements (Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna). Sara Moccia with the project “Artificial intelligence for preterm infants ‘healthcare” (4PretermsAICare): artificial intelligence to support the screening of disorders related to preterm birth (Institute of Biorobotics and Department of Excellence in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Scuola Superiore Sant’ Anna).
“Women and men are equally called to contribute to scientific progress and to building the future of humanity – said Elena Bonetti, Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Family -. The contribution of women, who can do and give a lot in mathematics as well as in science, is not yet as relevant as it could be: it is an enormous opportunity that we are not exploiting and that initiatives such as that of L’Orèal and Unesco help to seize ” .
There is still a long way to go. “The For Women in Science project in Italy has reached its twentieth edition, a milestone we are proud of because we have contributed to spreading awareness, among young women but not only, of how much science needs women – said François. -Xavier Fenart, President and CEO of L’Oréal Italia -. There is still a long way to go to bridge the gender gap, even in scientific research. In recent years, many steps forward have been made that push us to continue our project for women and science with renewed commitment ».