CIM researcher Nieves Lorenzo participated in the production of the outreach videos for the University of Vigo collective eXXperimenta en Feminino.
The collective eXXperimenta en Feminino, composed of professors and researchers from the Faculty of Sciences and the Schools of Computer Engineering and Aeronautical and Space Engineering at the Ourense campus, including CIM researcher Nieves Lorenzo, has launched two new outreach initiatives. These are the second edition of the video series Explorers of the Universe, which highlights the biographies and achievements of women whose knowledge and work helped humanity set foot on the Moon, and the comic EVA y las aventureras del aire.
‘EVA y las aventureras del aire’
The comic EVA y las aventureras del aire, explain eXXperimenta en Feminino, aims to highlight the various professions within the aerospace sector, focusing on the social impact each role has on society, with the goal of attracting girls to the STEM world (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The initiative is based on studies suggesting that “girls are more drawn to professions where the social impact is more evident,” and since “the impact of technical professions is sometimes not so easy to see, in this book we want to show, through professionals in the sector, how these aerospace-related occupations are indeed necessary and benefit society.”
The chosen format, add the initiative’s promoters, is “the comic, due to its transmedial nature (visual and textual).” The core project team consists of Nieves Lorenzo, CIM researcher and professor at the School of Aeronautical and Space Engineering at the Ourense campus, and José Andrés Santiago, professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Pontevedra campus. The comic’s production involved six comic artists: five graduates from the aforementioned Faculty of Fine Arts—Laura González, Antón Yáñez, Iria Fernández, Loli Rivas, and Delia Vázquez—and illustrator José Ángel Ares.
New videos from Explorers of the Universe
This is not the only initiative launched at the end of the year by the eXXperimenta en Feminino collective. Following the success of the first edition of the Explorers of the Universe videos, a second edition is now underway, featuring the biographies of five new women and their contributions to science. The audience will get to know Judy Sullivan, the biomedical engineer responsible for astronauts’ health; Margaret Brenneche, who designed the fuel tanks for the Saturn rocket; Jeanne Lee Crews, creator of the protective shield still used today by the International Space Station; Dorothy Lee, designer of the conical nose of the space shuttles; and Annie Easley, author of the software for the first hybrid cars.
For the production of these video capsules, they once again relied on illustrator MeliMolita and the voices of University of Vigo professors Alma Gómez, Julia Carballo, Olga Escuredo, and Inés Álvarez, as well as University of Santiago de Compostela professor Encina Calvo. The videos were produced by Inés Álvarez and Mª de las Nieves Lorenzo. Funding was provided by the Equality Unit of the University of Vigo.
CIM holds the CIGUS recognition from the Regional Government of Galicia, which certifies the quality and impact of its research, and its activities are co-financed by the European Union through the FEDER 21-27 Program.
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