BGU program promoting girls in STEM wins Astronautical Federation G3 prize
The G3 award is granted yearly to organizations who work for diversity in the field of space research and have shown excellent results.
By EVE YOUNGUpdated: MAY 9, 2021 22:47Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Earth and Planetary Image Facility's SHE-SPACE program that works to encourage girls to be involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).(photo credit: DANNY MECHLIS/BGU)
The International Astronautical Federation decided to grant the G3 award to the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Earth and Planetary Image Facility's SHE-SPACE program that works to encourage girls to be involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).The G3 award is granted yearly to organizations who work for diversity in the field of space research and have shown excellent results in the field.The prize will be awarded at the International Astronautical Conference in Dubai.SHE-SPACE is a space science project focused on the development of satellite imaging research applications. Program creators believe that exposing young women to advanced scientific disciplines, especially in the context of research, can encourage women to continue studying science.Each group of participants deals with a research question that is related to an environmental issue that is relevant to the country she comes from. Each group of participants uses a satellite to complete research on their topic. The international group of young women make it"This flagship project allows girls to be exposed to the forefront of research and space technologies and to conduct cross-border research and social collaboration," said Dr. Shimrit Maman"I am proud of the entire team and participants of the project, in Israel and around the world, and I am full of appreciation for receiving the award of excellence," said Maman.SHE-SPACE was founded in 2018 and today operates in countries around the world. It is supported by Israel's Space Agency which is part of The Science and Technology Ministry.Despite making up a little more than half of the globe’s population, women remain underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In fact, a 2017 UNESCO report found that only 35% of STEM higher education students globally are women.Children are socialized starting from a young age, Israel's Women's Network said in a March report on the effects of gender on careers in Israel. This means that around age 13 or 14, many boys begin to take an interest in sciences while girls turn to the humanities. This is influenced by socialization that begins as early as preschool with different gendered toys and continues on with different attitudes from teachers, said the report.Only 2.8% of girls said that they expect to work in information technology compared to 11.2% of boys. Some 10.1% of girls see themselves working in science and engineering compared to 18.4% of boys.The report found that as of 2019, 52% of those who learn 5 units of math (the maximum amount) are boys and 48% are girls but that in other stem fields, the high school gap is much larger.Only 32% of those who study 5 units of computer science are girls, and 35% of those studying 5 units of physics are girls.In chemistry and biology, girls now make up the majority of those studying five units (61% and 65% respectively), according to the report.Maya Margit/The Media Line contributed to this report.
