Shandra Sainz, Ceit researcher: "Surely you can imagine a researcher in a lab coat and at the computer, but in a research career, work is a team effort".

Last Tuesday, January 18th, the program of the VII edition of Emakumeak Zientzian. Since then, a total of 50 activities have taken place thanks to the union of 22 technology and research centers of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia. This initiative, which from the beginning has counted on the collaboration of Tecnun y Ceithas been developed throughout the month of February on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The aim is to make it clear that science is a girl's thing.

The program was rounded off at the School of Engineering with a practical workshop in which students in the 4th year of ESO and 1st year of high school had to do the work of an engineer by simulating the construction of a car. About fifteen students attended the workshop, which was led by the professor of Tecnun, Mikel Arcelusand the Master's student in Industrial Engineering, Jonan Morales.

Ceit researcher Shandra Sainz, who is in charge of the line of Additive Manufacturing She started the day talking about her work and appealing to the vocation that every researcher must have, because, in Sainz's words, the head of a researcher does not rest, it is something very vocational and requires great restlessness. "Surely you can imagine a researcher in a lab coat and at the computer, but in a research career, learning is continuous, it is teamwork and people with different profiles are needed," she said.

Arcelus started the workshop with the testimony of the Ceit researcher and explained the difference between a scientist and a technologist: "A scientist is a very curious person who wants to know why things happen and a technologist applies that science. In the workshop you are going to work as engineers creating and developing the solution that the client needs, in this case, what Jonan asks for," she said.

Divided into groups and under the watchful eye of a family member who wanted to join them, the students built a car with lego pieces. Through the game, they learned about product development processes and the role of an engineer in each of the production phases. To do this, they reviewed all the areas of engineering work, from the design of prototypes, the manufacture of parts, assembly and distribution.

The event culminated with a visit to the automotive workshop of Tecnun and a presentation of the electric vehicle manufactured, each year, by engineering students. Of particular note was the participation of Camila Vesga, a post-doc at Tecnun, in the event entitled "Women Scientists of Yesterday and Today", which took place earlier this month in the club room of the Victoria Eugenia Theater in San Sebastian.