Scientific achievements demonstrated by women’s teams from BAS
The topic of “Women in Innovation” was discussed by participants at a round table organized by the Ladies’ Forum Association which took place on October 30 at Planet Schwarz Tech Theater. European Commissioner for Startups, Innovation, and Research Ekaterina Zaharieva and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev opened the event.
“According to the latest data from the European Commission, 49 percent of employed engineers and scientists in Bulgaria are women, and in the academic community, the percentage reaches 55,” Diana Miteva, chair of the association’s board, said during the official opening. “In terms of this indicator, Bulgaria is among the absolute leaders in the EU—women scientists in Bulgaria are not just leading, they are driving science forward,” Miteva said. In her speech, she also highlighted the fruitful cooperation with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
The Vice-President of BAS Corr. Memb. Evdokia Pasheva noted that women in science in Bulgaria had much to be proud of. “Nevertheless, they need a platform through which to share their successes and problems but above all to find like-minded women in business,” she said. Corresponding Member Evdokia Pasheva also highlighted some of the achievements and contemporary developments of women’s teams from BAS that had already found practical application. Among them was a team from the Institute of Polymers which had created polymers that were used to process seeds for agriculture. Another example she presented was a sensor that provided information on the degree of atmospheric air pollution for use in small farms, and the deep neural networks created by the Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering which were used for precise and faster diagnosis of heart disease.
Corr. Memb. Pasheva described the cooperation between BAS and the Ladies’ Forum Association as very fruitful and assured that the Academy would remain a partner. “Since we need a helping hand and encouragement to young women who are involved in science,” the Vice-President of BAS said.
Researchers from the Academy – Prof. Diana Rabadjieva (Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry) and doctoral student Sylvia Varhoshkova (Institute of Molecular Biology) participated in the “Future in Science and Technology” panel.
Photos: https://ladiesforum.info/
