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[Video] From subway posters to old-fashioned marriages: Mayana Zatz on the promotion of science

Inspiration for bringing science into culture and young people into science can come from a variety of sources.

The numbers of women working in science have increased only modestly over the past decade and they still face numerous challenges. Are the solutions to these problems more likely to come in the form of regulations or guidelines, or with a proliferation of small-scale efforts? Dr. Mayana Zatz, director of the Human Genome Research Center at the University of São Paulo, is convinced of her answer and has plenty of ideas and examples to offer, from science quietly infiltrating our commute to work to researchers from developing countries heading home with a “scientific dowry". But, above all, she can’t help insisting on the fact that science is fun.

Science quietly infiltrating our commute to work… Researchers from developing countries heading home with a “scientific dowry”…  

At the 16th edition of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, much attention was devoted to the numbers of women working in research today and the challenges they face. Will the solutions to these problems more likely come in the form of regulations or guidelines giving women a leg up, or with a proliferation of small-scale efforts?

Dr. Mayana Zatz (@MayanaZatz), director of the Human Genome Research Center at the University of São Paulo and the 2001 L'Oréal-UNESCO laureate for Latin America, is convinced of her answer. She has plenty of ideas and examples for increasing the presence of science in society or assisting highly trained researchers from the developing world. But, above all, she can’t help insisting on the fact that science is fun.

For more novel ideas about sharing science with the public, from Mayana Zatz and other researcher-communicators:
Diversity & Soap Operas for Better Science Communication