ICMAB Events
Celebrating 11F 2022 at ICMAB with Vicenta Arnal and Émilie du Châtelet
On Friday, 11 February 2022, we will celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at ICMAB. Do you want to share this day with us?


We have a morning prepared with two talks to discover two incredible scientists: Vicenta Arnal, a Spanish scientist in the 1930s, and Émilie du Châtelet, a French natural philosopher and mathematician from the early 1730s.
After the two talks, given by ICMAB reseracher M. Rosa Palacín, and UAB researcher Xavier Roqué, Amanda Muñoz, member of the Gender Equality Commitee at ICMAB and PhD researcher will present us this year's activity to commemorate this day: Escape The Barriers.
11:30 AM: Women in electrochemistry untold stories: Vicenta Arnal, a Spanish scientist in the 1930s – By M. Rosa Palacín, ICMAB-CSIC
The talk will discuss Vicenta Arnal Yarza’s (1902-1960) scientific career, its context and achievements. She took advantage of ambitious programs to modernize and internationalize scientific research at the time with her pathway deviating later on to a domestic career devoted to improving teaching and popularizing chemistry.
M. Rosa Palacín’s research career involves solid state chemistry and electrochemistry applied to battery technology covering technologies already commercial or pre-commercial, as well as new chemistries and emerging concepts (Mg or Ca) with a focus on developing fertile cooperation scenarios between basic oriented research and industry. She has written invited reviews in high impact and specialised journals, participated in the organization of several international meetings and served as associated editor for diverse journals.
12:00 PM: An academy of one’s own: Émilie du Châtelet – By Xavier Roqué, Institute of History of Science, IHC-UAB
“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”. Virginia Woolf's dictum applies to enlightened women of science. Émilie le Tonnelier de Breteuil did not just have money and a room, but an academy of her own. Best known as the Marquise Du Châtelet, she made the family chateau in Cirey-sur-Marne into a terrestrial paradise, a haven for love and science she shared with Voltaire. I will discuss her contributions to natural philosophy, her thoughts about women and knowledge, and the ways she managed to overcome long-standing gender constraints.
Xavier Roqué is a member of the Department of Philosophy and the Institute for the History of Science at the UAB. A physicist by training, he has written on the history of 20th century physics, culture, and politics. His current project aims at historically surveying small-scale research practices. He has helped devise and now coordinates a new degree in Science, Technology and the Humanities (UAB-UAM-UC3M), the first of its kind in Spain.
1:00 PM: Escape The Barriers – By Amanda Muñoz, ICMAB-CSIC
This is an online activity promoted by the Gender Equality Committee at ICMAB and prepared by our young researchers. Be prepared by a thrilling discovery of the spaces and labs of ICMAB through some women scientists of our history:
“Panic spreads at ICMAB, many laboratories are locked and nobody seems to have the keys to open them. Everybody starts suspecting about the Gender Equality Committee members: they behave strangely and 11F is near. Moreover, they have spread virtual notes around the building. Don’t worry, you will soon receive a link to help restore the order and continue your research work.”
The activity will be open from 11 February to 8 March, and you can participate alone or in pairs. The fastest, the more points you obtain! We will announce the winners on 8 March!
Amanda Muñoz is a PhD researcher at the Nanoparticles and Nanocomposites Group, and member of the ICMAB Gender Equality Committee. Her research involves the study of bacterial nanocellulose toxicity through the model organism C. elegans. She is involved in many science outreach activities, such as Nanoinventum and “Bojos per la Física”, among others.
Hope to see you there! The event will take place at the ICMAB Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles and online. Register here to attend with Zoom.
Other activities for 11F
Apart from this day at ICMAB, we participate in the following activities:
- Wikimarathon of Women in Science, organized with PRBB and other centers: 8 February 2020, from 5 to 7 pm, online
- #100tífiques, talks by women scientists in high schools
- 11defebrero.org, talks by women scientists in high schools
- Talk by Anna Laromaine "Ciència en femení" on 11F at 6:30 pm at Biblioteca L'Escorxador in Sant Celoni
- Workshop "Descobreix les propietats fantàstiques dels amaterials" by Judith Oró, Anna Crespi and Roberta Ceravola on 12F at 11 am at Biblioteca L'Escorxador in Sant Celoni
- Matheroes exhibition at Biblioteca L'Escorxador in Sant Celoni
- Interactive "Women in Materials Science and Engineering" game with MATERLAND
- Representation of the play "Madame Châtelet and her Instagram followers" in a school in Badia del Vallès (more info soon)
- Representation of the play "Madame Châtelet and her Instagram followers" at CCCB for the NeuroArt ceremony (more info soon)
Other years' activities:
2021
- 2021: High participation in the initiative "Draw a women scientist" for #11F2021
- 2021: #100tífiques: promoting female scientific talent in schools for 11F
- 2021: #11F2021 Invited Talk: "Emmy Noether and the power of abstraction in Mathematics" by Dolors Herbera
- 2021: Women in science: Resources to stay informed this #8M #WomensDay
- 2021: Test your knowledge at the "Women in Science League"
- 2021: The exhibition "Científiques Catalanes 2.0" is this January 2021 at ICMAB
- 2021: AMIT-CAT organizes their first Women in Science Conference
2020
- 2020: #ICMAB11F: Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at the ICMAB
- 2020: Sants3Radio covers the #11F2020 in "Escola Can Maiol" with Arántzazu González
- 2020: The exhibition "Científiques Catalanes 2.0" coordinated by the ACCC starts its tour on #11F2020
- 2020: ICMAB, 14 Feb 2020: "El Enigma Agustina" for the #ICMAB11F2020
- 2020: UAB, 12 FEB 2020: "Energia i Canvi Climàtic" with M. Rosa Palacín #11F
- 2020: "Science and gender: perspectives from the history of science" by Clara Florensa to celebrate the 11F: International Day of Women and Girls in Science
- 2020: Vil·la Urània, 8 FEB 2020: Teatre i ciència: Madame Châtelet i les seves seguidores a Instagram
2019
- 2019: Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science at ICMAB
- 2019: #11F: "Our scientists in the school" for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
- 2019: #11F: "Lise Meitner: insights from recent research" by Xavier Roqué
- 2019: Great success of "Madame Châtelet" for the European Researchers Night in Cosmocaixa