Soapbox Science: women scientists take to the streets of Brussels
On Saturday, June 26, 2021, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., 12 women and non-binary scientists in Belgium will tell you about their research during the Soapbox Science Brussels event at the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein.
Soapbox Science is a science outreach initiative that aims to promote the visibility of women and non-binary scientists and their research by bringing them on the streets to reach the public. Soapbox Science events transform public areas in discussion forums based on Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner where women and non-binary scientists, on their soapboxes, talk about their research to the people passing by.
Why women and non-binary scientists? Even today, women and non-binary scientists constitute a minority in the research field, and their relative number dwindles as the seniority in the field increases. Recent research shows that women and non-binaries face a lot of obstacles from a very young age, notably due to strongly held stereotypes and biases related to the image of the scientist.
For those reasons, Soapbox Science aims at tackling stereotypes, and shows to the public that science is not an ‘old white man’s’ business and that anyone has the opportunity to enjoy science in an interactive way.
Soapbox Science was founded in 2011 in London, by Dr Seirian Sumner, from the University of Bristol, and Dr Nathalie Pettorelli, from the Zoological Society of London. The concept went on with great international success, with 42 events in 13 countries in 2019.
The first Soapbox Science Brussels event was organised on October 10, 2020. However, due to COVID-19, the event was held online and was broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook. Hence, the Soapbox Science Brussels 2021 will be the first ever Soapbox Science event that will take place live in the streets of Belgium, more precisely in Brussels.
During the event, four soapboxes will be placed on the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein of Brussels. On each soapbox, a speaker will talk about their research and interact with the public passing by for an hour. Talks will be in French, Dutch and English, the most commonly used languages in Brussels.
Follow all updates and programme on Twitter @SoapboxscienceB. Come to the Place de la Bourse/Beursplein to hear them talk and to discover their fascinating cutting-edge research!
Details of the event: http://soapboxscience.org/soapbox-science-2021-brussels/
Soapbox Science Brussels is sponsored by BELSPO, the Royal Observatory of Belgium, the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, UHasselt, ULiège and Europlanet Benelux. The Royal Observatory of Belgium is the host institute of Soapbox Science Brussels.
Contact:
Soapbox Science Brussels
Email: soapboxsciencebrussels@oma.be
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoapboxScienceBrussels
Twitter: @SoapboxscienceB
YouTube: bit.ly/SoapboxScienceYouTube
Tel:
- Lê Binh San PHAM (FR/EN): 0499/39 07 65
- Karolien LEFEVER (NL/EN): 0471/66 53 50
