IE School of Science and Technology Hosts Event to Empower Women in STEM

This International Women’s Week, IE School of Science and Technology invited high school students from across Spain to “EmpowerHer in STEM,” an event at the IE Tower in Madrid, designed to encourage women to pursue science and tech degrees. The event included a panel discussion focused on STEM careers, interactive workshops in physics, robotics, and AI, as well as immersive experiences using VR technology.

In her welcome address, Rafif Srour, Executive Vice Dean of IE School Science and Technology, urged the high school students to start thinking about their desired career paths so that they could also begin to identify individuals and support systems that could help them along their chosen path.

“When we are young, we don’t necessarily know what we want, nor do we know what is available to us,” commented Srour. “I recommend that you find someone that you trust and make them your mentor. They will help you build the inner strength and identify the resources needed to not only determine your path but to achieve it.”

Irene Alda, Academic Director for the Bachelor of Applied Mathematics at IE School of Science and Technology, led a physics workshop, which introduced the young students to the science behind the formation of rainbows, while Suzan Awinat, Professor in the Bachelor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence led the robotics and AI workshop. Awinat serves as supervisor in the IE Robotics and AI Lab, a state-of-the-art facility inaugurated last year that is a hub for students at IE University who want to cultivate their skills in the field. Maya El Kaaki, metaverse architect and founder of Not Keepin it Real, delivered a session delving into the realm of immersive experiences.

The panel, which was moderated by IE Impact Xcelerator’s Executive Director Isabel Sanchez, featured students, alumni, professors, and staff from IE University who provided insights into women pursuing their dream careers, especially in STEM. Panelist Sophia Gurria Hamdan, a student in the Bachelor of Data and Business Analytics, commented on the importance of  nurturing one’s confidence through the support of family and personal networks as well as expressing the desire to pursue a particular career path.

Mar Hurtado de Mendoza, Vice President for Global Recruitment and Marketing at IE University, stressed the importance of positive narratives for success. She advised the high school students in attendance, “When you’re thinking to yourself, I can’t do this, remember that you would never allow your best friend to think that about herself, you would help her to see the best in herself, to highlight her positives, and you would help her achieve her dreams. So, be that positive influence on your friend and be that positive influence on yourself.”

One of the participants in this panel, María Carolina Berrizbeitia, Head of Prime Video Business Operations and alumni of the International MBA at IE Business School, focused on the importance of women occupying half the space in STEM careers. “At least fifty percent female in all STEM careers, if you want there to not be biases or stereotypes, you want everything in the world to have our view, we need to be there, that should be the goal,” she highlighted.

The event concluded with Srour awarding the winners of an essay contest. Also as part of Women’s Month, earlier in the week IE University invited 18 female high school students from Segovia to participate in workshops about the Identification of Minerals, Observation of Thin Sheets, and DNA-Molecular - operated through the Bachelor of Environmental Sciences for Sustainability as part of the STEM Talent Girl Program by Fundación ASTI.

IE School of Science and Technology has a wide range of academic alliances worldwide to offer students as many hands-on opportunities in science and technology as possible. It has recently joined universities and startup incubators from 14 European countries to create Rise Europe, a new platform that promotes technological entrepreneurship in Europe. The School works with leading tech organizations across the world, with technological think tanks and startups to boost research and contribute to knowledge exchange. It has an entrepreneurial and sustainable mindset and encourages future tech leaders to think out of the box.