For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), we took the opportunity to ask some our female researchers about their experiences with science. Read on to discover what they have to tell. Karolien What attracted you to science? The challenge of searching for a creative solution to a problem, and the “eureka” feeling that comes over you when you find it. I found it fascinating to discover how mathematics could contribute to solving problems we are confronted with in everyday life. The choice for astronomy offered me the perfect middle ground between dreaming and abstract thinking. How do you feel your passion for science has grown? I love to immerse myself completely in a particular subject, whether it's climate, the exploration of the planet Mars or something completely outside my own field of research. The feeling of being able to fathom the logic behind it or simply discover new things makes me happy. It's simply fascinating to see what science is capable of. As head of communication, I'd like to infect others with that virus. What message would you like to give to young girls who are attracted to science? Determine where your passions lie and go for it! Choose an education that suits you, that makes you feel good and don't let others dictate in which direction you should go. Look at the world around you with an open mind and make your (scientific) contribution where you can make a difference. Martine What first attracted you to do science? Wonderment about nature and the desire to understand its functioning. How do you feel your passion for science has grown? The more you know, the more you discover and are amazed by the complexity of life and of our universe. But you also get to see the many unknowns, and it makes you want to learn more. What message would you like to give to young girls who are attracted to science? Don't hesitate. Don't be afraid. Science is fascinating and opens the door to the future. Viviane What first attracted you to do science? I wanted to better understand nature and the universe, how it works and what are the laws governing its evolution. That is why I choose astrophysics. How do you feel your passion for science has grown? I like to solve enigmas, search for the solution of a mystery by analyzing a specific question and find answers that then open up new perspectives. What message would you like to give to young girls who are attracted to science? Choose a job that you like to do and a field in which you feel good. Severine What first attracted you to do science? É I was drawn to science through reading and playing. I had a fascination for nature, an ease with math and a desire to understand the world around me. How do you feel your passion for science has grown? Curiosity is one of my driving forces, as well as a challenge. How does this machine work? Why does something happen? How can I solve this problem? What solutions can we imagine? Some teachers have opened doors as time passed, creating a growing desire to go further into detail. What message would you like to give to young girls who are attracted to science? Follow your desires, your intuition. Ask questions. Knock yourself out. There are a thousand and one ways to do science. Find your own. Christine What first attracted you to do science? Although I was very much attracted to the beauty of mathematics in secondary school, in the end I chose to study physics, which is closely related to maths but with more grounding in the real world. As professional orientation, I searched for a job in a field where I could ‘make direct contribution to society in order to make it better’. Teaching and researching a field related to environment or climate were the two orientations I had in mind, and I found opportunities in the second one. How do you feel your passion for science has grown? The more I am learning and extending my knowledge around my field of expertise and beyond, the more I feel motivated to work for these initial goals: serving research and education in the field of climate change. The goals remained similar, but I feel the urgency increasing every day. What message would you like to give to young girls who are attracted to science? Gender inequalities, also in our research field, are important and well documented. Gender biases, inherited from millennia of patriarchal society, are numerous and they affect men and women alike. Gender biases may even influence research itself, because the perception of threats, risks, challenges and perspectives on critical research questions may differ on average between genders. These are reasons why more girls are needed in STEM, to tend to a good gender balance in professional environments where important (societal and environmental) challenges must be addressed. Maite What first attracted you to do science? Watching, experimenting and trying to understand. That was my favorite way of spending free time as a child. I spent hours looking at anthills, every day a different experiment, every day a new insight. I dreamed of someday discovering a vaccine against AIDS or growing a crop that would eliminate hunger. How do you feel your passion for science has grown? Grow? LOL! With ambitions as I had as a child, your passion can hardly grow. Gradually, I gained a more realistic view of science. Great discoveries are rather rare and never the work of one individual. Doing research is teamwork, and every new insight is preceded by years of work. But it gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to contribute to this. What message would you like to give to young girls who are attracted to science? NICE! If you choose to study science, you will learn more than just science. You will develop an objective and critical view of the world, and that is what our society really needs. Catalina What first attracted you to science? During high school, I really enjoyed having the idea of a subject with right or wrong answers. I always had the satisfaction of coming to a concrete conclusion through reading, research and experiments, so I focused on science and mathematics subjects. I had a lot of encouraging (female!) teachers who presented the topics in a motivating way, and I never felt that I was hindered by my gender. I aimed for Chemistry as it is an all-encompassing science, and could help to go in many different directions in the field later, whether it be pharmaceuticals discovery, materials engineering, or what I am actually doing now, atmospheric and climate research! How do you feel your passion for science has grown? The more I developed in my career as a young researcher, the more I learnt and the more I realized that there is still left to learn. As a scientist, you realize that knowledge is endless and while that can be overwhelming, it is also exciting to know that you can always develop yourself further. There will always be new discoveries, new research, new methodologies, and not only in your field. I am always curious to watch the news and see what exciting technological developments exist in the world. What message would you like to give to young girls who are attracted to science? I would say keep your options in your early schooling quite broad, as you have the option to specialize later and having a good base knowledge of various subjects will benefit you for the rest of your science career. Having a broad background will also give you adaptability in your career, which will allow you to transfer skills from one field to another. Finding outreach events in the area you are interested in such as open days, workshops, summer schools, etc. will give you a good idea of the type of positions available, as well as give you the opportunity to talk to other people who have been in a similar position.