Superpowered Women: Maldita.es podcast on women in science and technology

María José Calderón, theoretical condensed matter physicist, and the day you stepped inside (yes, you) a superconductor.

We may not be entirely sure what a superconducting material is, and the concept may sound distant at first, especially if we add that it can even be related to levitation. However, “many people have probably been inside an MRI scanner”, a medical device that uses a magnetic field created precisely by a superconductor. In other words, to put it simply (even if it is not exactly like that), “you may have even been inside a superconductor”.

This is part of what María José Calderón told us in the fourth episode of Superpowered Women. She is a theoretical condensed matter physicist at the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (CSIC). María José was also co-founder of the 11F initiative for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. You can listen to the conversation with Maldita.es on both Spotify and Ivoox.

Lorena Fernández, computer engineer, and the need for everyday women role models in science.

When she talks about science to young girls, Lorena Fernández has a clear goal: “We are not trying to make girls choose STEAM careers, we want them not to rule them out, which is a very important nuance.” Lorena has achieved many things, including co-creating the board game Nobel Run and becoming an accessible role model for girls and teenagers who have taken part in the Inspira STEAM program, where she works as a mentor.

The protagonist of the third episode of #SuperpoweredWomen describes herself as a “lively” computer engineer, an expert in gender perspective in technology with a focus on artificial intelligence, and Director of Digital Identity at the University of Deusto. She is interested in showing the social side of researchers such as Hedy Lamarr, Rosalind Franklin, Joy Buolamwini, and others, as well as the impact they have had beyond academia, from becoming film stars to facing public smear campaigns. You can listen to the conversation with Lorena on Spotify and Ivoox.

Marta Macho Stadler, mathematician, and why mathematics are not “a thing for geniuses.”

In the second episode of #SuperpoweredWomen, Marta Macho Stadler, who is involved in many activities to promote mathematics outreach, talks to us about why this field should not be considered “only for geniuses” and how the way girls and boys are educated influences who eventually decides to pursue it. Marta holds a PhD in Mathematics and is a mathematics professor at the University of the Basque Country, and she is also the person behind the blog Mujeres con Ciencia, part of the Chair of Scientific Culture at the same university. Her goal is to tell the history of science in a way that is closer to reality and through the stories of women. You can listen to the new episode of the SuperpoweredWomen podcast on Spotify and Ivoox.

Ángela Nieto, biochemist, and how the cells in your body find their place and know what their function is.

Superpowered Women is a Maldita.es project in collaboration with FECYT that aims to increase the presence of women scientists and experts in public discourse through their collaboration in the fight against disinformation.