The Menina Ciência-Ciência Menina (MCCM) Extension Project was created with the goal of bringing girls in the final years of Elementary School closer to different areas of science. To achieve this, it seeks to humanize the figure of a scientist and bring representation by connecting them with women scientists from Brazil and around the world. This free event is aimed at school-age girls and consists of lectures and practical activities. It is organized by the Center for Natural and Human Sciences at the Federal University of ABC (UFABC). The main objective of this proposal is to showcase the role of women scientists in various fields, broaden the horizons of girls in the final years of elementary school, and humanize the figure of a scientist.
Having completed its fifth edition, the event has already served approximately 550 girls from the 6th to the 9th grade of Elementary School, from both public and private schools across the country. Since its second edition in 2020, the event has undergone changes in its format due to the coronavirus pandemic, but has remained in this format in subsequent editions to increase its reach. Since then, it has completed several editions, with the most recent one ending in 2023. We now have participants from all over Brazil, as well as from other countries. The course features collaboration from prominent scientists at UFABC and partner institutions, both Brazilian and foreign. The topics covered span various fields, including Biology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Geology, Education, History and Philosophy of Science, Speleology, among others.
During the project, the girls attend lectures presented by women scientists from various fields such as Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, Oceanography, Geophysics, Computing, Paleontology, among others. Concurrently, they engage in weekly experimental activities developed by the course's organizing team and are supervised by undergraduate and graduate student monitors from STEM fields at Higher Education Institutions across Brazil, ensuring they get the most out of the course.
Each edition incorporates innovations, and during its third edition, the project partnered with The Blue Coat School in Oldham, England, allowing students of the same age group as the Brazilian girls to participate in the project. All activities were translated into English, and there were synchronous discussion sessions with Brazilian women scientists interacting with English participants. This partnership brought benefits to both sides, increasing the project's visibility and that of UFABC, crossing geographical barriers, and offering the opportunity to reflect on gender equity in STEM fields for students at an English school that aimed to support social projects. In this edition, the Continuing Education Course for Basic Education teachers was also introduced, which was repeated in the fourth edition.
Science Girl • Girl Science
“The course as a whole was wonderful, it opened the doors for me to a universe of content that I didn't even know existed. Meeting amazing women and different areas of science brought me a new vision about the world. The classes are rich in content and experiments, all explained in a simple way that awakens our curiosity and even interest in following a scientific career, nowadays I even consider going into some area of science because of Science Girl - Girl Science ”.
Participant of Science Girl – Girl Science (MCCM) 2019.
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