The Pontevedra Provincial Council and the University of Vigo Present the GirlGeekPower Awards
n September 2021, nearly a year before the pandemic officially ended, the GirlGeekCovid Awards were launched as an initiative by the Feminisms 4.0 DEPO-UVigo Chair. Their aim was to promote the presence of women in the scientific and technological fields. Five years and 16 awardees later, these accolades today recognized the top female academic records at the University of Vigo for the 2023/2024 academic year in two categories: Science and Engineering/Architecture studies, with two first prizes of €2,000 and two runner-up prizes of €1,000.
At a ceremony held on December 10, 2024, at the Pontevedra Provincial Council headquarters in Vigo, Daniela Sanz Toucedo, a Telecommunications Engineering student, received the first prize in the Engineering and Architecture category, while Iliana Durán Alonso, a Master’s student in Advanced Biotechnology, won the first prize in the Science and Health Sciences category. Additionally, Noa Álvarez Montes, a Biomedical Engineer specializing in the field of Materials Science and Technology, and Sarai Moledo Rodríguez, a Biology graduate and Master’s student in Genomics and Genetics, received the runner-up prizes in Engineering/Architecture and Science/Health Sciences, respectively.
The Rector of the University of Vigo, Manuel Reigosa, and the Deputy for Equality and Social Welfare, Sandra Bastos, presented the awards to the winners. “These awards were born out of the need to recognize the excellence of women’s curricula in STEM careers,” said Bastos, emphasizing the importance of female leadership in these fields to help close the gender gap. “Congratulations on your achievements, and thank you for being an example and a role model for future generations,” the provincial deputy told the awardees.
For his part, the Rector of UVigo thanked the Provincial Council for their collaboration in organizing the awards and reiterated the value and inspiration that the winners represent. “We need you to keep breaking through glass ceilings. Surely, at some point, you may have heard: ‘That’s not for you; that’s a man’s job.’ Until we, as humanity, learn to use both legs and both arms, we will remain a society doomed to not progress at the pace we could,” said Reigosa. He called for true equality at all levels and for women to occupy the place they rightfully deserve