The third edition of the "Atomic Girls" workshop was held with great success, organized by the Millennium Institute SAPHIR and the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile.
With hybrid classes and an in-person session held at the School of Physics at the Catholic University of Chile, bringing together21 young teenagers in their first and second years of high school from across the country, this event, which has become an annual highlight for promoting science among girls,featured participants from various regions, including Chillán, Curicó, Arica, Copiapó, Iquique, San Pedro de la Paz, Aysén, and Coyhaique.
This year, the event received support from the SAPHIR Millennium Institute, the Millennium Research Unit for the Study of Early Mathematical Skills (MEMAT), and theUC Office of the Vice President for Research; this made it possible to provide an enriching, high-quality experience for the young participants.
Face-to-face activity: assembly of a muon detector
During the workshop’s opening ceremony, prominent UC officials were in attendance to show their support for this important initiative. Francisca Garay and Giovanna Cottin, the workshop’s creators, delivered a moving speech in which they highlighted the goals and future challenges of “Niñas Atómicas.” They emphasized the importance ofdemocratizing science and facilitating access to activities that allow girls, from an early age, to explore their abilities and make informed decisions about their future careers.
The two-day workshop gave the girls, along with a group of mentors—who are undergraduate and graduate students in physics and related science fields—the opportunity to learn how a device works that allowed them to detect muons—massive elementary particles—and use this data to generate an analysis of variables using the Python programming language.
Although there were 21 participants, the workshop received a high number of applications from adolescents from different corners of Chile, which is synonymous with the positive impact and national scope of this activity. The geographic diversity of the participants not only enriched the learning experience, but also fostered a sense of community and collaboration among the young scientists in training.
We hope that "Niñas Atómicas" will continue to consolidate as a space to inspire the next generations of women scientists in Chile.
