Machismo has influenced women and girls not to engage in science, He says Luz Miranda...
Machismo has influenced women and girls not to engage in science says Luz Miranda Atelano Herrera, a student at the Autonomous People’s University of the State of Puebla (UPAEP) originally from Naranjos, Veracruz, who at the age of 21 is the youngest Mexican astronaut involved in research fields Botany as part of the Hecate mission. She has a degree in aerospace engineering.
She argues that having a limited view of the opportunities that exist in this field, such as the spatial domain, means that women may not fully know the number of opportunities available within it when choosing their career; it is not among their options because they may not know about it.
“It is necessary to hold more events of this kind, and work to make women’s work more prominent because I’ve seen that women have no problem wanting to get involved in this field, but a lot of times they don’t because they don’t know about such opportunities. I’m specifically happy that there are events like this to make women’s work visible and that these kinds of things aren’t meant just for men.”
To combat gender inequality in science, technology and innovation promoted by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONASET), the conference “Cultivates dreams that take us to the stars.”
They are seeking to simulate a mission on the Moon or Mars for which various experiments have been conducted. They were looking forward to testing on the International Space Station, but initially they were tested on Earth which is the purpose of analog emissions.
“In that mission I went to, I was the only one from Latin America, in the same way I was the youngest at that time and the results I got were very satisfactory. This kind of research collaborates with scientific research and projects futuristic seeking innovation in the field of space.”
Luz Miranda Atilano Herrera recently represented Mexico as the Biolab Officer, responsible for growing plants, hydroponics and testing different types of water solutions; their results will be used in an experiment by the European Space Agency at the end of the year, which is expected to be used in future missions in space.
This opportunity took her to Poland in May of this year, where the space station is located to carry out similar missions and thus contribute to scientific research. Thanks to the support of her parents and all of them working hard to pay for these expenses, it granted Luz the opportunity to travel to Poland.
At the age of 20, Luz Miranda was selected to attend the International Astronautics Congress promoted by AEXA, and later became an ambassador for Eurekká, an organization that seeks to close the gender gap for the inclusion of girls in space science.
Astrobotany and the beginning of fame Luz expressed that part of his encounter with which she is currently one of her great achievements began in 2018, when Dr. Simon Vargas Martínez gave her the subject of Aerospace Foundation and asked her to participate in a contest of the Mexican Space Agency. As part of this contest, she and her team chose the theme of growing plants on Mars.
After her participation in the contest she continued to work with Dr. Isaac on the same subject, and thanks to her perseverance, she was able to qualify for the International Astronautics Congress. Her presentation received positive responses despite being the youngest of Congress in the Life Support, Habitats and EVA Systems area where she was measured against people from prestigious research centers as well as those who held their Masters and Doctorate.
The fruit of her effort
Concerning her participation in Poland, Luz was satisfied because although not everything was easy she was congratulated on her results and for the innovations she proposed. “I had better results than I expected, I worked to get here and I did it at 21, I didn’t expect to be so young,” she said. “ “I feel accomplished, it was a life goal, and fulfilling it makes me feel satisfied, even more so because I know what I worked, I know what it cost me.”
She added that throughout her stay in Poland she realized that as a woman she can inspire others.
“We as women invite the rest, it is impressive that just seeing me do what I like to do, that I do it with all my heart, and that I achieved part of my dreams, I hope to inspire more women to pursue their dreams, too,” he said.
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