International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Andrea Vandin presents two (unknown) female heroes of Computer Science

Andrea Vandin (Associate Professor of Computer Science at the Institute of Economics, and member of L'EMbeDS Managing Board) celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by contributing to the 3rd EELISA roundtable dedicated to this important day. The roundtable provided a spotlight for individuals and initiatives within the EELISA community who are actively changing the narratives concerning women in science. Utilizing diverse formats such as workshops, dissemination actions, conferences or podcasts, these initiatives aim to engage students, academics, and society at large to change the perception of the role of women and show a world full of opportunities to future generations. Andrea's contribution "(unknown) female heroes of Computer Science" was chosen as an example of good practice in supporting women's careers in STEM, building new narratives, and changing the perception of women in science. The two heroes considered by Andrea are:

• Ada Lovelace, who was in fact the first programmer in history!
• Grace Hopper, mother of modern programming languages... and inventor of the term 'bug'!

Since 2021, thanks to initiatives of the Sant'Anna School such as MEMO and FuoriClasse, Andrea has presented these two female role models to hundreds of high school students, trying to impress on them that Computer Science and STEM are, indeed, 'for women'. Andrea's contribution to the roundtable received significant media coverage, e.g.:

• ANSA
• La Nazione
• MUR
• Sky TG 24
• PisaToday