From 30 January to 3 February 2023, around a hundred female science “ambassadors” from CERN, Scienscope (UNIGE), the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Laboratoire d’Annecy de Physique des Particules (LAPP), visited over two hundred classrooms in the local region to promote the sciences to 5120 schoolchildren.

Since 2017, the “Women and girls in science and technology” programme has been an integral part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which will be celebrated on 11 February this year. The aim is to address sexist stereotypes while children are still in their formative years and to demonstrate that careers in science are just as accessible for girls as they are for boys. By meeting female role models it’s much easier for girls to picture themselves as scientists, explorers, inventors or engineers later in life.

The campaign was a great success again this year and even broke the all-time participation record. In the space of seven years, thanks to the ever expanding cohort of ambassadors eager to share their passion, more than 13 000 pupils aged between 7 and 15 from the local region have learned about jobs in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Are you a teacher who would like to take part in the 2024 event? Sign up for our education newsletter to find out what we offer and when registration will be open!

Would you like to take part in the 2024 event as a volunteer? Contact the CERN events team to find out about our upcoming calls for volunteers!