Irene Valenzuela receives the Award for Young Female Scientific Talent from the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences

• The Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences grants her this award in the category of 'Physics and Chemistry.'
• The objective of the awards is to create female role models in Spanish science.

The Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences celebrated its IV Edition of the Awards for Young Female Scientific Talent, recognizing Irene Valenzuela Agüí, a researcher at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT UAM-CSIC) and the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), with the award in the category of 'Physics and Chemistry.'

Likewise, the awards have recognized the career of Rosa María Crujeiras Casais in the category of 'Mathematics'; Blanca Ausín González in 'Biology and Geology'; and Isabel Oller Alberola in 'Applications of Science to Technology.'

The award for young female talent in 'Physics and Chemistry' has been granted to researcher Irene Valenzuela for her study in quantum gravity and string theory and its implications in physics, particles, and cosmology. In the words of the awardee: "With this award, I would like to encourage, especially, girls and young women to pursue what they are passionate about and follow their scientific vocation."

The awards were presented by María Ángeles Gil, numerary academic of the Mathematics Section; Miguel Ángel Alario, numerary academic of the Physics and Chemistry Section; Laia Alegret, numerary academic of the Biology and Geology Section; and Paloma Real, general director of Mastercard Spain. In this last edition, 400 valid nominations were received, of which 23 corresponded to the 'Mathematics' category, 80 to 'Physics and Chemistry,' 185 to 'Biology and Geology,' and 112 to 'Applications of Science to Technology.'

With these awards, which take place on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), the organizers hope to create role models to combat the gender gap in STEM careers.

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Credit: RAC