On May 29th, the book “Women Scientists in Chile, how their life stories contribute to scientific education” was launched, developed by the Faculty of Education of the Alberto Hurtado University and published by Ediciones UAH.

This book compiles the biographies of 7 scientists from our country who have a remarkable career in the field of science and who are also concerned with creating spaces for dissemination and inspiration for new generations. Such is the case of the researcher from the Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineering, AC3E, Dr. Jocelyn Dunstan, who is also an IMC academic in a shared position with the UC Department of Computer Science and a researcher at the Millennium Institute Foundations of Data.

For the researcher, having been selected for this edition is very important, since it makes visible powerful stories that can act as role models for children. “It is a tremendous honor, and it even feels like I don’t deserve to be there. But talking with the authors of the book at its launch, they reaffirmed how important my story had been and how grateful they were for my participation,” mentioned Dr. Dunstan.

Although over the years more women have joined STEM areas, there is still a noticeable gender gap that limits the development of their scientific careers, especially as opportunities for growth and occupying leadership positions open up.

That is why initiatives like these are so relevant to encourage more girls and young women to venture into science with current role models who built their careers in the same territory. “While there are tremendous role models like Marie Curie, that is too far away, both in time and geographically. In particular, I think that presence is important not only in the media, but also as a professor of a chair, which is precisely what I never had. I never had female professors in college!” concluded the researcher.