“STEM, girls get involved” returns to the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa on Tuesday, July 15. The residential university orientation course aims to introduce 80 talented female students to scientific study programs and careers
This is an opportunity to learn more about the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies: its educational offerings, including competitions for first- and second-level degree programs, student life through first-hand accounts from current students, and research activities with visits to scientific laboratories. Tuesday, July 15, at 3:00 p.m., marks the start of the new edition of the residential university orientation course “STEM, le ragazze si mettono in gioco” (STEM, girls get involved), dedicated to 80 female students who have completed their fourth year of high school, to provide them with an in-depth and concrete overview of the opportunities offered by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), with the aim of combating gender discrimination and promoting greater female participation in sectors that are crucial for the future of Italy and Europe.
The 2025 edition of STEM is also made possible thanks to the contribution of the Fondazione Il Talento all'Opera, the support of PagoPA, PNRR funds and the MERITA – The network for talent, also funded under the PNRR.
"STEM disciplines offer unique opportunities for growth in the world of work, both in the public and private sectors. In 2025, we cannot accept that this wealth of skills is unevenly distributed among students, with gender inequality to the detriment of girls. The STEM project aims to introduce girls to the growth opportunities available in STEM. We are committed to promoting their active participation in the social and technological growth of our country and to making them protagonists of this change," says Veronica Iacovacci, associate professor at the Institute of BioRobotics and Rector's Delegate for the coordination of the ‘STEM, girls get involved’ project.
The 2025 program: interactive lessons, visits to laboratories, meetings with female professionals in STEM subjects
The 2025 edition of STEM runs until Friday, July 18. The 80 participants, selected from among deserving students, daughters of non-graduate parents and from all over Italy, have the opportunity to participate in interactive lessons with internationally renowned professors and researchers on a wide range of topics, from biorobotics to agroecology; to engage with experts and listen to testimonials from female students and researchers at the Sant'Anna School, and to talk to successful professionals in the world of STEM disciplines, learning more about their experiences and career paths.
The gender gap in STEM disciplines
The gender gap in STEM disciplines is still significant. In 2023, 16.8% of women aged between 25 and 34 in Italy will have a degree in STEM, compared to 37% of men of the same age. This gap is even more evident in specific fields such as engineering and computer science.
The aim of the Orientation initiative promoted by the Sant'Anna School is precisely to encourage girls to pursue STEM studies in order to reduce the gender gap and promote greater diversity and inclusiveness in the scientific and technological sector.
