Changing Science: Supporting and Inspiring Women and Girls

Rita Bisoonauth

Head of Mission of the African Union/International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) @African Union

Agnes Szmolenszky

Head of European Learning Laboratory (ELLS) @EMBL

Description

As part of the EDI Office’s programme of monthly webinars, on the 28th of February we feature a conversation between Rita Bisoonauth and Agnes Szmolenszky.

The speakers will discuss their involvement in the education of women and girls in science, and the differences and similarities between Africa and Europe as both continents push for the advancement and inclusion of women. They will also share ideas for how to inspire passion, and foster curiosity and creativity in the scientific field.

Biographies

Dr. Rita Bissoonauth presently heads the African Union International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (AU/CIEFFA) based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In 2020, Rita was honoured as one of the 100 Most Influential African women Before moving to Ouagadougou, she was a Senior Policy Officer in Education for five years at African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. She has also worked as a Senior Lecturer at the Mauritius Institute of Education in Mauritius and the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada teaching Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Science Education. Rita holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Lyon, France and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Agnes Szmolenszky has been working as the Head of ELLS at EMBL since 2017. In her current position, she is responsible for the operation of EMBL’s science education facility with the mission to bridge the gap between research and schools. She develops new resources for science learning in formal and non-formal settings reflecting EMBL research and runs CPD courses for science teachers. Agnes received her PhD at the Goethe University in Frankfurt/M, Germany. After her post doc at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, she moved back to Hungary and started to work in the area of science management and international affairs including the US Embassy, the Hungarian science and Technology Foundation and the Bay Ltd for Applied Sciences.