Caguas – Puerto Rico joined the map of locations where the statues that make up the exhibition can be seen If/Then She Canwhich celebrates the performance of 120 women – including three Puerto Ricans – in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEMin English) and which has been seen by more than 4 million people since its inauguration in 2020.
The Puerto Ricans Greetchen Díaz Muñoz, Minerva Cordero Braña and Roselin Rosario Melendez –next to the Venezuelan Bea Mendez Gandica and the Colombian Ana María Porras Corredor– are the five Latinas represented in the statues, which from March 7 to June 29 will be displayed in the Creole Center for Science and Technology of the Caribbean (C3Tec), in this municipality, as part of the exhibition “They change the world.”
“There are very few women in the sciences. In USA –I imagine it will be similar in Puerto Rico–, only 29% of the people who work in STEM are women. It is important to highlight the work of women to continue motivating others to follow in our footsteps.”said Cordero Braña, who is a mathematician and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington.
She immediately highlighted that, when considering Latina women who practice STEM professions in the United States, the figure is reduced to 2%.
According to a recent report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, in English), only 3% of students who choose to pursue higher education choose technology, information and communications. 5% choose natural sciences, mathematics and statistics, while 8% choose engineering, manufacturing and construction. 15% choose careers related to health and well-being, such as medicine and nursing. Women barely represent 33% in the research area.
“In computer engineering, it is 1.8% Latina women. We are the group where there are the fewest Latina women in any industry. “Being a Latina, a woman and in computer science is like a unicorn”said, for her part, Méndez Gandica, who is the founder of New Foundation and program manager at Microsoft.
During the opening of the exhibition last Thursday, a video was shown that reviewed a study carried out in 12 large cities in the United States, which found less than six statues of women, in total, displayed to the public in parks and central squares.
“You are walking around and you come across a statue or a monument and, mostly, they are of men. “That is a reality, both in Puerto Rico and in the United States, and most countries in the world”said Díaz Muñoz, director of the Science Education Program at Science Puerto Rico.
The three Puerto Rican scientists and the Venezuelan were physically present at the inauguration, while Porras Corredor, who is a biomedical engineer, connected virtually to participate in a discussion among all of them.
“A statue of us alone does not have the same impact. It seems to me that the point of the statues is to see many types of women – they can be scientists, engineers, mathematicians, programmers – and there is a diversity of body and life experiences.. That is what I have taken away from seeing the statues and it is what I would like people who see the exhibition to reflect on,” said the Colombian.
For her part, Rosario Meléndez, who is a cosmetic and polymer chemist, shared that her greatest expectation for children who visit the exhibition is that they are inspired to be what they propose and that they are interested in the sciences.
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It is important to highlight the work of women to continue motivating others to follow in our footsteps ”Minerva Cordero Braña
All the If/Then She Can statues were exhibited in two spaces, in Texas and Washington D.C. Subsequently, pop-ups were created in other cities in the United States. Díaz Muñoz explained that the exhibition will no longer have a fixed space for the 120 statues, which are now being distributed to the women who inspired them so that they can decide where they will be located.
He added that, although they will be at C3Tec until June 29, coordination is already underway to take the statues to other places in Puerto Rico.
“Although we have made many advances that are very clear, the reality is that we still need to make the role of women in science more visible, both those who were before us and those who are contemporary, to open doors for those who are yet to come. ”Díaz Muñoz pointed out.