OWSD General Assembly Day 7: Women scientists demonstrate how applied sciences solve problems in developing countries
December 06, 2021
Women scientists from the Global South exhibited their work on the theme “Applied sciences and their impact on development” during day 7 of the OWSD 6th General Assembly and International Conference. The day was dedicated to the virtual poster exhibition.
Prior to the conference, members of the OWSD network of women scientists submitted a poster briefly describing their current research. As on day 6 of the conference, participants were able to view each poster on the conference platform and interact live with each scientist about their work, using avatars to move around the virtual space. Conference participants and the exhibitors were also able to network with one another.
The sheer variety of research, each one aimed at solving a specific problem, made for fascinating conversation. Olfa Mahjoub is popularising the use of the United Nation’s SDG-PSS tool in Tunisia as a means of gathering data on SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation. The tool ensures that gender is taken into consideration during data gathering. The tool also highlights areas where there is no data or where the data indicates that more progress needs to be made. Luisa Maria Diele-Vegas and collaborators are seeking to understand whether women's scientific research is being given due recognition in Latin America's scientific publications. Edith Villegas and Rosa Petit's poster explained their work in highlighting the disparities in medical outcomes for men and women. One of the issues the poster raised was the fact that men's bodies are used as standard in scientific research, when in fact, diseases can present differently for men and women. Jyoti Devkota's poster examined the gender gap in education and employment in Nepal.
Presenters and others attending the poster session enjoyed being able to discuss their research with other members from all over the world. "I can not believe that 2 hours just passed," said Ariadna Garza from Mexico. "Thank you to OWSD for the organization of an event that showed sooo many interesting contributions in science and to be able to exchange ideas with colleagues from different parts of the world...Thank you to all for sharing your knowledge in such a positive vibe."
