On Thursday 5 May, ICTP climate scientist Erika Coppola will represent the Centre at a public roundtable discussion on gender balance in science. The event, titled “Breaking the Glass Ceiling”, will offer an informal debate among female researchers and professionals working in local institutions to discuss what is necessary to offer men and women equal opportunities.
 
Participants include:
 
Domenica Bueti, CUG (Centro Unico di Garanzia) President, SISSA
Erika Coppola, Researcher Earth System Physics Section, ICTP
Paola Del Negro, General Director, OGS
Raffaella De Lia, Head of Public Information Office, TWAS
Valentina d'Odorico, Researcher, INAF
Maria Dolores Ferrara, Professor of Labour Law and CUG (Centro Unico di Garanzia) representative, University of Trieste
Caterina Petrillo, President, Area Science Park
 
The event takes place from 16:00 to 18:00 at Urban Centre in Trieste (Corso Camillo Benso Conte di Cavour, 2/2).
 
Among the topics of discussion at the roundtable will be the Gender Equality Plans (GEP) that Trieste's science institutes have developed to describe the current situation and the tools to promote gender balance. The plans are aimed at “breaking the glass ceiling”, the invisible barrier that prevents women from reaching high-level academic and research positions despite the high number of female students.
 
The roundtable is one of the events connected to the exhibition “Donne nella Città della Conoscenza”, set up at the Spazio Trieste Città della Conoscenza (TCC) at Trieste's Central Station. The exhibition is an initiative by SISSA, curated by SISSA Medialab, and is part of the Trieste Learning City project of UNESCO, coordinated by Università della LiberEtà and the Municipality of Trieste with the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. The exhibition is open on Fridays and Saturdays, from 16:00 to 19:00, until 14 May. On 5 May, it will be exceptionally open from 15:00 to 19.30.