Newsletter
issue 6 // November 2014
This is the sixth issue of the Genis Lab newsletter, a web-tool aimed to inform people involved in the project
and partner institutions on project activities and on how and what Europe is currently carrying out in the promotion of gender equality in science.
Genis Lab stands for GENDER IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LAB: a EU funded project, financed by the 7th
Framework Programme. The aim of GENIS LAB is to create new working conditions in six European scientific
organizations by using innovative methodologies of gender mainstreaming.
IN THIS ISSUE
6
November
Focus on dissemination
2014
NIC
BTH
INFN
www.genislab-fp7.eu/
Save the date - The Final Conference
PARTNERS
ICTP/CSIC
Newsletter
issue 6 // November 2014
Focus on dissemination
Dissemination and raising awareness activities are an important part of the GENIS LAB process.
Dissemination activities were planned in order to raise relevant stakeholders’ awareness on the need/possibility
of structural organisational changes in scientific organisations in order to contrast the under representation of
women in research institutes and universities. A dissemination plan was built at the beginning of the project, and
has consisted in:
• Definition of a consortium dissemination strategy and detailed work plan.
• Definition of a project logo and other communication materials, such as a brochure translated in all the
languages of the partners and a project presentation (ppt).
• Designing and activation of a dedicated website containing a blog where all the participants could upload
the results of their activities and could share their experiences.
• Editing of a periodic newsletter - each 6 months.
• National (in each partner country) launching conferences presenting to all relevant stakeholders (e.g. scientific organisations, trade unions, women associations) project’s aims, strategies and activities.
• High level training seminars addressed to employees of the scientific partners’ organizations.
• Networking and clustering with other similar initiatives, in order to create a critical mass on the issue (starting from the activation of links among GENIS-LAB and other EU projects focusing on gender mainstreaming in scientific organisations).
• ransnational final conference: GENIS - LAB outputs and results will be presented.
• Publication of final guidelines of efficient gender management tools tailored for scientific institution, in all
partners languages.
The present newsletter focuses on four scientific partners which have
excelled for their work on the dissemination activities of the GENIS LAB
project, namely: NIC, INFN, ICTP/CSIC and BTH.
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NIC The National I nstitute of Chimics, Slovenia
The National Institute of Chimics of Slovenia put a
lot of effort in the TAP’s action Graphic campaign on
stereotypes, where four campaign products have
been produced:
• the Genis Lab Slovenia’s promotional video,
• the silicone wristband (Enclosure 8),
• the slogan (“Ženske za znanost-Women for science”)
• and the promotional poster (Enlosure 9, Enclosure 10).
All activities for NIC’s graphic campaign have been
started in May 2013 and included: development of
ideas and conceptual design of the campaign, preparation of a scenario and a storyboard, collection of
materials used in the campaign, coordination and
preparation of various materials, etc.
Final products of our campaign were presented and
launched at the Genis Lab 3rd Transnational Conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia on November 25th26th 2013.
The promotional video has been published on the
YouTube channel and spread via Facebook and
LinkedIn.
The aim of the campaign is to encourage and spread
awareness on the issues concerning gender in science and to encourage women in/for their scientific
careers. The main products of the campaign, the
video and the wristband, are key parts of the communication campaign with the slogan “Ženske za
znanost- Women for science”, with the aim of awareness raising of the need for more women in science.
The Genis Lab Slovenia’s promotional silicone wristband is a purple silicone gel bracelet with the project’s logo and the slogan“Ženske za znanost-Women
for science”, developed in collaboration with advertising agency (conceptual design, production and
implementation of the campaign). It was launched
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in October 2013 as an item of the project’s graphic
and awareness-raising campaign. All products of the
campaign are in the original purple colour shade of
the Genis Lab project’s official logotype and every
item of the campaign is accompanied with logotypes of NIC Slovenia, Genis Lab project and European 7th Framework Programme. Also as a part of
dissemination and awareness campaign every employee got the promotional wristband and posters
are hung up on walls of the NIC Slovenia.
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issue 6 // November 2014
On October 8th and 9th 2013 the NIC’s open day
took place. The event was attended by more than
300 children from Slovenian elementary and high
schools and by one group of children of NIC’s employees and one group of 40 visitors from the NIC’s
industrial partners mainly from bigger pharmaceutical companies. All visitors visited laboratories and the
new Pregl’s research centre of the Institute and had
an opportunity to see the equipment. On this occasion, the Genis Lab project aims were introduced
and as a part of dissemination campaign every visitor was given the wristband. The message was to
encourage younger population to get involved in
science, especially girls for their future career as scientists.
On the 14th of August 2014, a children summer camp
was visited to present project’s aim and spreadawareness on the issues concerning gender in science
and to encourage young girls in/for theirscientific
careers. The NIC’s Graphic campaign was presented
in a children-friendly andunderstandable way and a
discussion with youth on their perception and understanding ofgender equality has been carried out.
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The summer camp was organized for elementary
(primary)school children, aged 5-15, but the focus
was on older part of this population, i.e. 13-15 yearolds,since they are deciding for a field of their further
education at the end of elementary education.
As in the year 2013, the NIC’s open day took place on
October 7th and 8th 2014. The event wasattended
by 318 children from Slovenian elementary and high
schools. The programme was similar to the previous
year’s and also on this occasion, the Genis Lab project collaborated at the event andsome Genis Lab
Slovenia wristbands were distributed among children.
The Genis Lab corner on the NIC Slovenia’s websitehasbeen kept up to date with information on
carried out activities for the whole time of the projectduration. Some important updates, newsletters,
interviews have been published with the aim ofinforming NIC’s employees on the project activities
and invitation to collaborate and contact theproject
team.
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BTH Blek inge I nstitute of Technology, Sweden
An introducing comment
The research division of Technoscience Studies
(ToS) belongs to the department of Technology and
Aesthetics (DITE) at the Faculty of Computing at Blekinge Institute of Technology, a profiled University of
Applied ICT and Sustainable Development.
The activities at ToS began in 1998. A professor chair
in ICT and gender research was filled the 1st July
1999. ToS is a new field of technology and engineering and is highly innovative in terms of development
of gender research within technoscience, media
technology, methodology for ICT related research
and innovation system and cluster development.
In addition to research, undergraduate and graduate education as well as PhD training, the activities
embrace work with knowledge networks, campus
development, external engagements, internal work
at BTH and support work for external funding of research and research collaboration.
One of the aims of ToS is to develop complex knowledges about ICT including media technologies as
reality-producing technologies as well as of the
transformations that follow in its wake. The researchers create theoretical bases and practices for developmental processes in ICT-related fields as well as in
the context of innovation systems.
This presupposes participation in the appurtenant
processes of transformation and knowledge production. Seeing ICT as reality-producing technologies
rest on the idea that all of us, researchers in the field
included, are enmeshed in development processes.
No innocent positions exist.
The Research Division of Technoscience studies includes four profile areas namely:
• Feminist Technoscience
• Design for Digital Media
• ICT for Development
• Innovation System and Development
Within BTH, ToS leads the activities under the GENIS
LAB project, under a double strategy. The GenisLab
interventions according to the BTH TAP include:
1) development activities (based on extensive and
detailed studies of relevant facts about BTH)
2) an intertwined implementation/transformation
process.
Concrete results of this double strategy is: a new
equality committee; a new BTH equality strategy and
the2014-2016 plan mainly based on GenisLab TAP for
BTH; the GenisLab TAP included in BTH score card; an
externally funded R&D&I project concerning gender
stereotypes.
Dissemination activities
• On the 16th December 2014, BTH has organized
a final dissemination seminar with other nearby
universities invited;
•
Execution of the R&D&I project “A norm-critical
game culture”. The purpose is to identify norms and
attitudes of future game developers among BTH
students, increase the knowledge of a norm-critical perspective and experiment with the concept
games in collaboration with the industry and the
public sector. The pilot study is based on the project
participants being the catalyzing assemblages.
• Follow-up activities specifically concerning BTH
scorecard and BTH leadership course
• Disseminate information in the BTH information
publication “Intranytt”.
Dissemination material
• BTH GenisLab final report “Gender Budgeting and
Human Resources - Development of Methods at Blekinge Institute of Technology”
• BTH Equality Strategy 2014 - 2016 “Equal Rights
and Possibilities” (to be translated to English) - Report from the R&D&I project A norm-critical game
culture
• BTH score card (the new version after re-organisation of the whole university to be finalized)
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INFN La sapienza - Roma, I taly
INFN’s main activities in dissemination have been
the organization of seminars and conferences, and
the participation to external events where GENIS
LAB was promoted.
Here below, you can find a list of the main events
which have seen an active involvement of INFN:
“It is time for gender actions in research”: presentation of the GENIS LAB project, and two other projects related to the subject of women and science,
namely: GENOVATE and GenderTime. The conference took place in Naples on the 25th of June 2013, at
the University of Naples “Federico II”. Mariella Paciello
presented the GENIS LAB project, on behalf of INFN.
“Perchè promuovere le donne nella scienza”
(Why promoting women in science?”): seminar held
by Flavia Zucco (Associazione Donne e Scienza) in
the INFN section of Roma Sapienza on the 8th of October 2013.
Two ReAct activities took place in INF in December
2013. In particular, ReAct consists in learning activities which use theatre techniques and methodology
to promote reactions on sensitive issues concerning
stereotypes in science. It rises creative approaches
concerning interpersonal cultural mechanisms in order to change conditioned behaviours. In particular,
on the 3rd of December a Laboratory on Forum
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Theatre took place involving a participatory meeting to collect stories and proposals in order to find
the most common stereotypes present in INFN in
order to facilitate the dynamics of collaboration in
the work environment. On the 10th of December, a
theatre performance was realized by professional
actors, who have put in place stereotypes from the
scientific world. Participants were free to intervene.
On the 18th of June 2014, a focus group on the
behavioural values and competences took place
in the INFN section of Trieste. The focus group was
aimed to present the competency model of INFN
and the work performed by the GENIS LAB team on
human resources management.
Finally, on the 12th of November 2014, Mariella Paciello (INFN) presented “Valutazione e modelli di
competenze, bilanci di genere; proviamo a realizzarli? Genis Lab Tailored Action Plan INFN:
azionistrutturalisignificative” (“Evaluation and
competency models, gender budgets: shall we carry
them out? Genis Lab Tailored Action Plan: significant
structural actions”) at a conference organized by
the Science Museum of Trento.
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Spanish Superior Council for Scientific Research
Institute for Polymer Science and Technology
In April 2013, ICTP/CSIC has started to organize periodical meetings with Mujeres y Ciencia and in
particular with the president of the association Pilar
Lopez Sancho. Together with this association; ICTP/
CSIC has organized a periodic seminar of scientific
Spanish women, the first, in June 2013, with Inés
Sánchez de Madariaga who is director of the Women and Science Unit (UMYC) of the Spanish Minister’s Office for Science and Innovation and tenured
lecturer of Urban Planning at the School of Architecture of Madrid.
On the 8th of May 2014, there was the last seminar
with Dra. Concepció Rovira Angulo (Instituto de
Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona CSIC). The conference took place in the ICTP. All speakers divided
their talk in two parts the first part focuses on her
carriers in particular the women carrier problems
and the personal problems that they have during
their work life. And during the second part talked
about scientific works.
Furthermore, in September 2013, the Genis Lab
team of the ICTP/CSIC has implemented the Internet forum for gender problems discussion (ementoring) in the website of the institute. Once a
student/employee enters in the intranet with his/
her username and password, it is possible to enter
in the forum directly from the Genis Lab link. The active participation from ICTP people is an indicator of
the good impact of this action. For the future (2014)
thanks to Muyeres y Ciencia, it is planned to create a
similar forum for all institutes of CSIC with the presence of a link in the website of CSIC.
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Together with these activities, the three technical
partners (FGB, ITC/ILO and ADS) have also been
present in several conferences in the last years to
present GENIS LAB activities and process. Here a list
of the last meetings where they have participated:
• FGB and ADS presented Genis Lab project at
the Padova University, in occasion ofthe opening event of the Gendertime project, on June 12,
2013;
• FGB and ITC/ILO informed about Genis Lab activities in Brussels, on 2 December 2013 “Gender Workshop. On the way to the top: providing
equal opportunities for men and women in science and technology” organized by the European Research Council
• Participation of FGB to the national congress of
the “Donne and Scienza” Association in Trento,
held in November 2014.
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SAVE THE DATE
Final Conference
12th December 2014 \\ Dresden
The Final Conference will take place in Dresden on the 12th of December. The title of the conference will be: “Promoting Gender Equality in
Research - the Genis Lab experience”. After the official welcomes
from the IPF Managing Director, local authorities and German
gender experts, the conference will be organized in three
consecutive sessions.
1
2
3
The first session will be on “Gender Equality in Research in Europe – state of the art and further developments”
The second session will be on: “Gender Equality in Research - Challenges and Resources”
The last session on: The Genis Lab institutional change experience”.
We strongly suggest to register to the conference on the project website. Within
the website, you will also find the programme of the conference, which will be
further presented in the next newsletter, foreseen for the beginning of December.
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Genis Lab
goes social
Genis Lab is now on Facebook and Linkedin!
Join the discussion, be a part of our network and receive updates on our activities by following us on:
https://www.facebook.com/GenisLab
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Genis-Lab-5171652
For further information please check out our website:
www.genislab-fp7.eu
CONTACTS
PROJECT COORDINATION:
Fondazione Brodolini
Via Barberini,50 - 00187- Roma, Italy
[email protected]
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