From 5 to 9 February, more than eighty female ambassadors from CERN, the University of Geneva, EPFL and LAPP spoke to 5800 local pupils, giving over 260 presentations in the space of a week! Their goal: to get children excited about science and break down gender stereotypes about scientific jobs.

The Women and Girls in Science and Technology event has been an annual fixture since 2017, marking the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which is celebrated on 11 February. The event’s eight editions have met with increasing success, thanks to an ever-expanding cohort of ambassadors eager to share their passion. In total, more than 24 500 pupils aged between 7 and 15 from the local region have seen for themselves that careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are equally accessible to girls and boys.

Are you a teacher who would like to take part in the 2025 event? Sign up for our education newsletter to find out what we offer and when registration will be open!

Would you like to take part in the 2025 event as a volunteer? Contact the CERN events team to find out about our upcoming calls for volunteers!

More information on CERN's Women in Technology group on: https://wit-hub.web.cern.ch/.

Update on the “25 by ’25” strategy In spring 2021, the Diversity & Inclusion programme launched the “25 by ’25” strategy, an aspirational target-based initiative to boost the gender and nationality diversity of CERN’s staff and fellows population (MPEs) by the end of 2025. Objective: to reach 25% of women among MPEs by the end of 2025. The latest statistics (see graphic) are very encouraging: CERN is only 1.3% away from its target!

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The International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG) has engaged communities in particle physics for more than 25 years. IPPOG also holds dedicated International Masterclasses for girls and women on the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Technology.