February 11th was International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and to celebrate it NATO published stories of three of the women they have supported through their careers under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme. This programme brings together scientists and officials from member countries to look at civil scientific initiatives aimed at dealing with emerging security challenges.

As a military organisation NATO has a multitude of opportunities in a variety of subject and topic areas for girls considering a career in the armed forces, many of which require a science and / or engineering background. Over the past five years more than 450 collaborative activities have taken place. SecurityWomen welcomes this NATO initiative which is not just about achieving equality for women and girls interested in science but can also lead to more diverse ideas and ways of shaping future international security.

Amongst the women who have benefited from the programme are Dr Ikram Ghouli from Tunisia, who is working on a new technology for decontaminating chemical warfare agents to ensure a safer environment, and PhD student Dominika Capkova who is participating in a project investigating new materials for batteries which will improve their reliability and efficiency.

“Successful women scientists and role models can have such a positive impact on young women scientists and on girls who are thinking about a scientific career,” said Dominika.

2022 is the seventh year of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and the focus this year is on showing how women can be agents of change, in particular how they can contribute to acceleration of progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). This was debated by the UN Assembly on 11 February under the topic: “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Water Unites Us.”

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For the full story see: NATO - News: NATO encourages women and girls in science, 11-Feb.-2022‍

And for more information about International Day of Women and Girls in Science see: International
Day of Women and Girls in Science Official Website (womeninscienceday.org)

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