Women in Science
by Danna
Our wonderful Young Ambassador from Mexico, Danna, writes about a renowned female scientist in Mexico, Julieta Fierro. Danna explores her background, explaining how she got to where she is today and expresses her admiration for Dr Julieta Fierro and her message around the importance of women and girls in science. Not only has Danna written a fantastic blog on this very inspiring woman, she also conducted an amazing online interview with Julieta which is now live on our Video Hub!
‘There are problems that science will only be able to solve if more women get involved.’
My name is Danna and I am a Young Ambassador of Inspiring Girls Mexico. I love astronomy and I especially love observing the stars and the planets as it fills me with great joy.
Now, at the age of 13, I love talking about science, uploading videos on my social networks just like a woman who has inspired me a lot, she is Dr. Julieta Fierro, who is one of the greatest researchers of science in Mexico.
Julieta’s career has filled my life with great inspiration. She has been recognized on countless occasions worldwide - among the distinctions and awards she has received are: Outreach Award from the Third World Academy of Sciences (1992), UNESCO Kalinga Prize (1995), the Kumple Roberts from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1998) and the Primo Medal Rovis of the Trieste Center for Astrophysics (1996).
Dr. Fierro is a graduate in Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she studied physics and astrophysics, specializing in interstellar matter, as well as studies on the Solar System.
When Julieta was a child, she played with her siblings pretending to be in the Circus as she always wanted to be a trapeze artist. However, when she entered school, she realized that she really liked math and she achieved good grades. From the moment she saw a math problem she knew the solution, until one day she realized that she couldn't solve a math problem, unfortunately she had lost her gift explaining, “I lost it for showing off, because I stopped studying and one day I didn't know math anymore and it was terrifying.” However, this experience did not allow her to be discouraged from continuing to study mathematics.
Dr Fierro remembers a lot about what her dad had told her about astronomical events and is fond of the memories she has of him taking her to museums as it was something that she really enjoyed. I also identify a lot with her because thanks to my dad, I find myself interested in science too.
With the death of her mother, she decided to take refuge in one of her passions, to study, even if this meant running away from home. When she was going to study at the University, her older sister encouraged her to study Physics instead of solely studying Mathematics, so she decided to study Physics, her interest in the origin and evolution of the universe became so great that she studied for a master's degree in that same area, and she specialized in astrophysics.
Dr Fierro often reflects in interviews, “my dad used to tell us that women's brains were smaller than men's and that we were destined for housework." She often talks about how she became rebellious since disagreeing with her father and sexist attitudes and began fighting for women's causes, understanding that education was a tool to get ahead in life. Dr Fierro firmly argues that the more women that are involved in science, the more we will resolve issues around menstruation and breast cancer.
I have great admiration for Dr. Julieta Fierro because I like to listen to her as she talks about scientific issues that inspire me to learn more about the world of Science. I also like that she talks about the importance of women in Science and that we need more women to resolve important issues.