Abstract:

It is a global challenge to engage young women in pursuing science careers. And when the formative years are completed, there are other challenges they face in business, industry or academia that can hinder their career. In Brazil, there is a recent trend of several initiatives that deal with Women in STEM topics.
For the first time, a Brazilian Symposium of Women in STEM was held with attendants that are actively engaged in such initiatives. The call for papers invited projects that addressed women in STEM. To our surprise, there were almost two hundred projects submitted, and 145 out of 185 projects were peer selected for presentation. The projects were led by groups from 21 states (out of 25) plus the Federal District of Brazil.

The event was a two-day symposium, held in March 13rd-14th 2020, just before the pandemic restrictions started. On the agenda, we had 2 keynote speakers with important leadership, one working in industry and the other in science, 2 panels of prominent women advocates, 32 projects selected for oral presentations, 2 poster sessions with a total of 113 projects, 6 hands-on workshops and 2 plenaries for discussing Women in STEM and planning future actions.

The event brought together 350 participants. The attendees had a diverse background: individuals from public and private sectors, students, teachers and professors, professionals from the industry, participants from all over the country, and groups engaged in diverse STEM areas such as Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Astronomy, Physiology, Basic Research and Mathematics. There were also groups representing black women in science, concerning diversity awareness and the science produced by afro descendants themes.

The symposium was held in Sao Jose dos Campos, SP, at the Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA). ITA was one of the Institutes chosen by Johnson & Johnson (JnJ) since 2016 to take part in the WiSTEM2D (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design) JnJ initiative together with several other partnerships around the world with leading academic centers. It was created to help increase the number of undergraduate women enrolling in and declaring majors in the fields of STEM2D.

As a result of the symposium, we can list numerous positive outcomes:
(1) Experiences were shared,
(2) Keynote speakers stimulated leadership,
(3) Panels brought discussions and learning,
(4) Workshops were focused in women empowerment,
(5) Hands-on workshops could be readily implemented in schools,
(6) Network building,
(7) Final discussions and next steps.

A major outcome was the start of a national network of projects engaged in promoting Women in STEM. Once advocates can share their experience and actions, they can inspire other groups and work together to improve and expand the movement. We are working now on a national level, to develop a hub for women in STEM projects. Some of the Actions for the Future listed were the creation of the Charter of the I Brazilian Symposium of Women in STEM, based on the mapping and consolidation of data presented in the event; the necessity that in the next event the theme of gender-based violence be discussed; the necessity that the social sciences be part of the discussion; and to seek institutional support in development agencies, so that the event can be permanent.

Keywords:

Women in STEM, minorities, diversity issues, women leadership, women education.