“Enciclopèdia de dones STEAM”: an exhibition on women researchers, science and technology

The exhibition was inaugurated at a ceremony presided over by the Vice-Rector for Equality and Gender, Montserrat Puig, who highlighted "the honour and pleasure of having such a fantastic exhibition of brilliant women for a few days". She also stressed that, as the UB's Equality Plan states, "it is our duty to continue working to ensure that young women enroll in scientific and technical careers".

At the end of her speech, the vice-rector gave the word to the co-authors of the exhibition. The illustrator Sandra Uve thanked all the women scientists who are part of this exhibition: "They are the real protagonists". She explained that the exhibition aims to be a "letter of introduction to the STEAM Women's Encyclopaedia, which is expected to reach all schools throughout the year". The engineer Núria Salán added that the women of the exhibition are a selection of the more than eight thousand women researchers, scientists and inventors that have been compiled, and that they hope to obtain the necessary resources to be able to continue producing the different volumes of this encyclopaedia.

The director of the FCRI, Jordi Mas, praised "the warmth and love that exudes from the exhibition panels". He also presented the biography of Assumpció Català i Poch, and highlighted her scientific curiosity, multidisciplinarity, international activity as a researcher and, especially, her value and recognition as a teacher.  

Women researchers, science and technology

“Enciclopèdia de dones STEAM”, on display at the UB until 31 January 2024, shows the profile of twenty relevant women researchers with a portrait and a descriptive text about their scientific contributions (publications, patents, findings, etc.). The main aim is to give visibility to the presence of women in the fields of science and technology and highlight the role of female researchers in the progress of society.

The exhibition is an opportunity to find out more about the scientific career of researchers such as Gemma Marfany, professor at the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics of the UB; Alícia Casals, industrial engineer and professor at the Technical University of Catalonia; Elisabet Prats, doctor in Chemistry at the UB and member of the Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBER-BBN); Núria López Bigas, doctor in Biology at the UB and researcher at the Biomedical Research Institute (IRB Barcelona), and Núria Montserrat, ICREA research professor at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), among others.  

Assumpció Català: professor, astronomer and mathematician   

The astronomer and mathematician Assumpció Català i Poch (1925-2009), featured in the last title of Biografies FCRI, presented her doctoral thesis at the UB in 1971, and she stands out for being the first professional female astronomer in a university in Spain. Her relationship with the UB started in 1952, when she became assistant to Joaquim Febrer, professor of Astronomy at the University and director of the Fabra Observatory from 1957 to 1970.  

Author of several systematic research studies on sun spots, orbit and eclipse calculations, she was a key figure in the training and support for the new generations of astronomers at the UB. Member of the International Astronomical Union and the European Astronomical Society, Assumpció Català played a decisive role in the UB’s participation in the Hipparcos mission, launched by the European Space Agency (ESA).

In 2004, the UB appointed her emeritus associate professor, and in 2009 she received the Saint George’s Cross from the Government of Catalonia honouring her scientific task and her academic activity as a university professor of astronomy, physics and mathematics. In 2016, the telescope in the Universe Observing Centre in the Montsec Astronomical Park (Lleida) was named after her.