First woman to receive the National Research Award in Technology Transfer and pioneer of scientific dissemination
VALENCIA, 21 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The scientist Laura Lechuga is the protagonist of the new mural that inaugurates the ‘Women of science’ project, promoted by the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and the Las Naves innovation center of the Valencia City Council, with the collaboration of the FECYT-Ministry of Science and Innovation.
This is the first of the murals of this 2023-24 academic year and pays tribute to Laura Lechuga, CSIC research professor at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), the first woman to receive the National Research Award in Technology Transfer and one of the pioneers in the field of scientific dissemination. The work of the Andalusian artist Isa Nieto, the work is located at the CEIP Ausiàs March in Alboraia (Valencia).
Laura Lechuga has expressed her excitement about the initiative. “I hope that my image serves as an inspiration for all children, and especially girls, and that they see that dreams can be achieved and that the science and technology that surrounds them can also be built by them in the future,” she stated. .
In the mural, Isa Nieto manages to capture and synthesize the research carried out by Laura Lechuga throughout her career, with direct references to devices such as nanobiosensors and microchips, as well as proteins, viruses, and our circulatory system.
The work also stands out for its great chromatic intensity with a predominance of red, a fundamental color for Laura Lechuga, and also the hallmark, along with dark blue, of the muralist, integrating with the environment of the school center.
“For me, participating in this project has been a privilege. I think it is very important that women scientists of the relevance of Laura Lechuga are represented in educational centers like this one. And that, in addition, the authors of these murals are also women. wonderful. This project helps to give visibility to our work and to be an example for girls and boys,” highlights Isa Nieto.
Meanwhile, Aroa Valle, director of the school, stressed that “Dones de science has been an impetus to continue working for the love of science with our students.” “We are very excited about this project that fits perfectly with our core line where coeducation is one of our basic pillars,” she added.
The event also included the participation of the vice-rector of the UPV, Salomé Cuesta, who highlighted “the importance of continuing to support one more course for a reference project already throughout the country such as Dones de ciència and which is contributing so much to make visible great women of our science, such as Laura Lechuga”.
The director of the Las Naves innovation center of the Valencia City Council, Marta Chillarón, has highlighted that the objective is that “our innovation impacts and improves people’s lives.”
“And having more women in the field of science every day is key to having an increasingly equitable city. And sending this message through murals is also key because it connects with an expressive language that is closer to a young person and allows us , on the one hand, to make visible and pay tribute to leading scientists on a national and international scale and, on the other, to denounce the consequences of gender inequality, in the construction of scientific and research vocations and in the development of the professional careers of women. women in these areas,” he concluded.