Maria Viñas’s research focuses on the physics of vision and vision psychophysics, with Adaptive Optics based visual technologies to image the eye, and study visual function and neural adaptation in polychromatic conditions under a very wide range of artificially-simulated-conditions. Her work on Adaptive Optics visual simulation in polychromatic conditions has contributed to different areas of research in Visual Optics and Biophotonics, like the study of chromatic aberrations in phakic and pseudophakic eyes and their impact on vision, the optical, visual and neural effects of astigmatism, the experimental simulation of complex multifocal solutions for Presbyopia, and the pre-operative simulation of post-operative multifocal vision with those corrections. Maria Viñas completed undergraduate studies in Optics and Optical Engineering in the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), followed by a predoctoral work at the Visual Optics & Biophotonics Lab, where she obtained her PhD in Physics in 2015. She is currently an IF-MSCA fellow with a joint position at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (USA) and the Institute of Optics of the Spanish National Research Council (Spain). She is also founding member of the spin-off company, 2EyesVision, which develops clinical visual simulators.

Maria Viñas received several recognitions from scientific societies (OSA, ARVO). In particular, she was elected OSA Ambassador of The Optical Society (OSA) in 2019. She is past president of IOSA - Institute of Optics OSA Student Chapter - where among a wide range of activities she has authored a very successful book of optical experiments. She is currently the vice-chair of the Visual Sciences Committee of the Spanish Optical Society, and chair of the Women in Optics and Photonics committee of the Spanish Optical Society, where she fights gender stereotypes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Luc Bergé, President-Elect of the EPS and chair of the EPS Equal Opportunity Committee (LB), interviewed Maria Viñas (MV).

LB: Why did you choose to study physics?

MV: I actually studied Optics and Optical engineering at the University Complutense of Madrid. However, I became more and more interested in the Optics/Physics behind the visual process and related technologies. That is why, when I finished my Master’s degree, I joined the Visual Optics and Biophotonics Lab of the Institute of Optics of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The group, led by Prof. Susana Marcos, had a research line focused on the use of Adaptive Optics technologies, inherited from astronomy and only very recently focused on visual Optics, in order to study the optics of the eye and how the brain sees the world through it. I was fascinated by that topic. The same technology used to image the stars could be used to image the eye! Also, I did my PhD there, developing novel Adaptive Optics systems to study visual function and to improve optical corrections for visual problems, like Myopia or Presbyopia. And I am really happy to see that some of those technologies have jumped from the lab to the clinic, via a spin-off company, 2EyesVision, which I co-founded. Now, I am really excited to keep pursuing novel breakthroughs in the new phase of my career, starting now as an IF-MSCA fellow with a joint position at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School (USA) and the Institute of Optics of the Spanish National Research Council (Spain).

LB: Any worry to match your family life and a career in physics?

MV: Funny timing for that question, since I am now a postdoctoral researcher with a 5 months old baby, and that fact has a real impact on my work/life balance. I was not worried about this before; I did not even think much about it. I could see my female colleagues struggle, but I did not relate much. Now I am facing the real truth, I can say that this situation is hard, but doable.

We all know that research provides a very competitive environment, which requires carrying a high workload and a lot of travelling, among other things. Numbers of female scientists in STEM tell us that the struggle is higher for women. This happens even before we consider having a family; it is deeply related to gender stereotypes that affect us all. Also, the number of female scientists in STEM areas is lower, because of the work/life balance, which is typically harder to maintain for women. However, I am optimistic about the future. Things are changing. Research/Academic institutions are making an effort to attract female talents to STEM and to maintain it by offering more flexibility, looking for strategies that enable more diverse research teams or fighting stereotypes. There is still much to be done, but I really think if you want to pursue a career in STEM, this issue must not discourage you. It is so much fun to work in the lab (as Prof. Donna Strickland said in her Nobel Prize presentation) than the rest can be overcome.

LB: Are you worried about finding a job in physics?

MV: I think when you are at a postdoctoral stage you certainly worry about this. There are many options to explore, and you can join truly amazing groups and develop very interesting projects. However, getting a permanent position, in such a way that you can develop your own independent projects and lead your research group is not so easy. I think this is a common worry for many researches at this time: you love your work, which is quite exciting, but your career is not as stable as you’d like. In my case I have been very lucky so far, I cannot complain.

LB:  What has been the personally most rewarding experience and also the biggest difficulty encountered so far in your career?

MV: For me the biggest difficulty was the beginning. After graduating, I started working in Industry, nothing related to research. However, I desired something else. I knew I had found my path when I started my PhD. I really like what I do. My most rewarding experiences have to do with teaching, not only my students in the lab, but also students in the University or children in outreach activities. How their curiosity awakes, how they grow scientifically, is very rewarding.

LB:  Did you encounter any difficulty in finding funding for PhD or a post-doc position related to the fact that you are a woman?

MV: I was unaware of gender bias during my pre-doctoral years; I was happy because I could focus on Science, only lab stuff mattered. However, becoming a postdoctoral researcher changed my perception of things. Scientific structures are more willing to incorporate male scientists than female ones. Scientific networking is male dominated, how positions are achieved, how connections are made…When you are the female scientist in the room is always more difficult to make your voice heard, no matter your experience, no matter your seniority, this can undermine your confidence as a scientist. But I think that things are changing; research groups are more and more diverse, which helps fighting gender discrimination.

LB:  Any suggestion to guarantee a balanced gender representation in physics?

MV: For me the important thing here is to fight against gender stereotypes, which are at the very centre of the problem. This is not only a question of getting a balanced gender representation in physics, it is also a problem that affects society as a whole, and which we should be fighting together. Reducing unconscious bias is the real deal.

LB:   Any particular advice for a young aspiring researcher?

MV: Enjoy what you do. A research career is tough, but it is also worthwhile.

LB:  Do you have any female ‘physicist cult figure’ or ‘role model’?

MV: Yes, I have been very lucky in that regard. I had a great professor during my Master, Prof. Maria Luisa Calvo from the School of Physics of the Complutense University of Madrid, who was truly inspiring. She went on being a great mentor along the years. Of course, my PhD supervisor, Prof. Susana Marcos from the Institute of Optics of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), who taught me almost everything I know on visual optics and about being a scientist, always supported me to develop novel breakthrough projects.

January

• Petra Rudolf, EPS president, participated in the Physics@Veldhoven conference where she handed over the certificate and medal of the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction to Cristiane de Morais Smith, the laureate of the 2nd 2019 edition of the distinction.
• 29 Janunary to 1st February: Petra Rudolf, EPS president, took part in the APS International Leadership Forum, Washington DC, and participated in a panel discussion about fundamental research and its relation to national economy and national security.

February

• 6-7 February: Petra Rudolf, EPS President, Rüdiger Voss, EPS past-president, David Lee, EPS Secretary General, participated in the Executive Committee Meeting at CERN, Switzerland.
• 24 February: Petra Rudolf, EPS president, was in Brussels, Belgium, 2020 to discuss the organisation of the train-the-trainers workshop on talking to policy makers which is planned at the Catholic University in Leuven on May 25-26, 2020.
  
• 25 February: F. Burr attended the EPL Management Committee Meeting, Bristol, UK. 
• 26 February: David Lee, EPS Secretary General and F. Burr attended the EPL Board of Directors Meeting, Bristol, UK. 
• 27 February: Petra Rudolf, EPS President, visited EPS headquarters in Mulhouse and, together with Rüdiger Voss, EPS past president and David Lee, EPS Secretary General, participated in the meeting of the “Grand Challenges” Editorial Board in Mulhouse, France.
• 28 February 2020: Patricia Helfenstein, EPS Conference Manager, attended the World of Photonics Congress steering committee meeting in Munich, Germany.

July

• 14 July: Petra Rudolf presented the Plan S: The position of EPS and various worries” at the Workshop on Green Open Access, Transformative Agreements and PlanS organised by Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) and Unione Matematica Italiana (UMI), with the collaboration of INFN and University of L'Aquila.

August

• Petra Rudolf participated in the conference CMD GEFES 2020, EPS Young Minds Session, "A PhD is not enough: how to prepare for a career in academia". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xlp6RruUjqc

September

• 5 September: Petra Rudolf participated in the XXXV International Conference of Physics Students 2020 (IAPS @ a distance), virtual meeting, "Careers in Physics and how to succeed in getting into academia". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4KxL07zQP4
• 23 September: Argentinean Physics Association (AFA) Conference "Unconscious bios: how it impacts careers in science and how to mitigate this influence"
• 28 September: David Lee, Enrique Sanchez and Petra Rudolf participated in the Press Conference of ISE (Initiative for Science in Europe) together with EURODOC (the European Association of PhD students), the association of Marie Curie Fellows and the Young Academy Europe to plead for a higher Horizon Europe Budget also to counteract the effects of the Covid crisis for young people.
  

October

• 5 October: Petra Rudolf took part to a round table discussion at the LXIII Congreso National de Fisica of the Mexican Physical Society organised as on line event "The Impact of Physics on Society and the future of Physics", Moderator Dr. Tonatiuh Matos. Each speaker (APS President Philip Buchsbaum, Mexican Physical Society's president-elect Ana Maria Cetto, the president of the Iberoamerican Federation of Physical Societies Arturo Mati and EPS President Petra Rudolf) talked for 10 to 15 minutes about the impact of physics on society, and the future of physics.
  

The Action Committee of the Young Minds Project is happy to congratulate Dr. Roberta Caruso, our former chair, with being elected a member of EPS Executive Committee!

Roberta’s EPS journey began in 2010 when she subscribed to the society as individual member to create the Naples YM section (now PONYS). Since then, she has worked to organize local and national events within the section, until November 2015, when she joined the YM Action Committee. At that point, Roberta decided to step back from the front row in the local section, and assist the new members from a certain distance. In May 2018, she became YM program chair and played this role until 2020.  Along with organization of joined sessions during conferences, Roberta worked towards strengthening the relations between YM and other EPS Divisions and Groups and paid great deal of attention to promoting networking between the sections and the Action committee. During her term the committee has also instituted a new grant program for student-organized conferences (YM Conference Award), and put the basis for a mentoring program for YM members. Right after the end of her term as YM chair, she joined the EPS Executive Committee, where Roberta plans to continue working with YM towards the implementation of the mentoring project and towards the engagement of the physics community in the International Year for Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development.

Congratulations, Roberta, on your well-deserved success and good luck with bringing all your initiatives to life!

The Action Committee is also proud to welcome its new members on board: Mattia Ostinato (Naples, Italy) and Carmen Martin (Valladolid, Spain). We are sure that your extensive experience in outreach activities of your sections and organization of large scientific events, your skills that you mastered being part of the YM Project and willingness to take responsibility will help you make great contributions to the Young Minds development.

Giuliana Galati is a 30-year old physicist. After graduating in Nuclear, Subnuclear and Astroparticle Physics from Bari University Aldo Moro (Italy), she completed her PhD at Naples University Federico II, working on the underground physics experiment OPERA searching for neutrino oscillations. In 2017, she won the national "Bruno Rossi" prize for the best PhD thesis in Astroparticle Physics, awarded by the Astroparticle Physics Committee of the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). In 2019, she was awarded the national prize "Ida Ortalli" for commitment and effort in the science field by the Italian Physics Society.
She is now working on dark matter search and medical physics.

Giuliana is also highly involved in science communication. She co-founded a science podcast (www.scientificast.it) aimed at conveying complex science topics in a way that is accessible to all. This podcast became one of the most famous in Italy. Moreover, recently, she became one of the authors and hosts for the Italian TV series Superquark+, aimed at disseminating science to a broad audience (http://www.raiplay.it/programmi/superquarkpiu).

Luc Bergé (LB), President-Elect of the EPS and chair of the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee, interviewed Giuliana Galati (GG).

LB: Why did you choose to study physics?
GG: I have always been very curious about how physical phenomena work, but in middle school I hated mathematics and preferred literature. In Italy, for the final exam at the end of high school, students are asked to prepare an essay. I chose the topic of “Time” and on my own, I studied the paradoxes of Einstein’s relativity. It was like falling in love! What impressed me the most was that physics seemed to be magical, but at the same time real, without tricks or illusions!
I must admit that I wasn’t really fully aware of what I was getting into!

LB: Any concerns about balancing your family life and a career in physics?
GG: Sometimes yes, but I don't think that physics is the problem. The reality is that I like what I do and if I have a computer, I can work anywhere and at any time. If at the very beginning of your PhD, you start working more than you should, later it becomes difficult to do less. You keep working also outside working hours, sometimes neglecting leisure and a social life.

LB: Are you worried about finding a job in physics?
GG: I know that it is difficult, but in general I’m an optimistic person and I think that things will go well. If I cannot pursue a career in physics, I will find a plan B!

LB:  What has been personally the most rewarding experience and also the biggest difficulty encountered so far in your career?
GG: It’s hard to think of a single rewarding experience: every time I accomplish a task, I feel rewarded. Finding a difficulty is easier: the biggest one is realizing – and it happens often to me! – that I’ve made a mistake or that I still have so much more to learn….

LB:  Did you encounter any difficulty in finding funding for a PhD or a postdoc position because you are a woman?
GG: No, I did not. In my research group there are many women and, so far, I have never felt preferences for someone just because he was a man. Nevertheless, it’s evident that most full professors are men. I hope things are already changing and that no woman will soon have to choose between having a family or a career.

LB:  Any suggestion to guarantee a balanced gender representation in physics?
GG: That’s a challenging question. I don't like those systems that have a quota for women: I don't want to be hired or win a competition just because I’m a woman.
What I would like is to have equal opportunities in physics and equal obligations outside the research world. For new mothers, it would be useful to have more supportive infrastructures, for example, day-care or kindergartens.

LB:   Any particular advice for a young aspiring researcher?
GG: The first is: “Don't give up!” I still remember that I spent the first six months at university crying every afternoon because I couldn't understand most of the lessons. I felt lost and I believed that I couldn’t make it.
The second one is: build a team. Together we are stronger when preparing for an exam or when working as researchers. Share ideas, ask for help, offer help. Don’t be a lone wolf.

LB:  Do you have any female ‘physicist cult figure’ or ‘role model’?
GG: Absolutely! One of them is Prof. Mariateresa Muciaccia, one of my Professors at university. When I was a student, she was one of the few women full professors. Her lessons were the first ones that made me say: “ok, I’m in the right place!”. I was really fascinated by her and I decided to ask her to supervise my bachelor thesis. I still work in that field of research, so without her my life would have been so different!
I could say that my cult figures are also great women like Fabiola Gianotti, but the truth is that my models are all the women with whom I work and have worked. Believe me: even if they are not famous, they are all great ones!

Giuliana Galati – Photo: Assunta Servello

Author: Richard Zeltner

Traditionally, the Young Minds programme chair is elected by the action committee during the annual leadership meeting. As the Corona-pandemic prevented a physical meeting in 2020 so far, the voting was instead held online early in May. Dr. Richard Zeltner, former president of the hBar Omega section in Erlangen and action committee member since end of 2018, has been elected and follows Dr. Roberta Caruso into office. During the electoral process he sketched and discussed possible new perspectives for the project`s in the upcoming years: First, the consolidation of the current infrastructure of the project, including the webpage and the social media presence. Second, the objective to develop Young Minds, its sections and its members towards being a voice of the new generation of scientists in Europe. In this vision Young Minds will contribute more strongly to raise the understanding on scientific practices and the awareness on topics of major concern, such as climate change, Fake News or disinformation campaigns, in the broad public on both the local, national and international level. As we are currently witnessing, in the midst of the Corona-pandemic, there are never enough efforts made to bring science and society closer together and to reduce communication barriers, creating mutual benefits. Third, increasing the prominence of industry-related activities in the project, thereby expanding and diversifying the network of its members, and opening perspectives towards career paths outside of academia.

Besides the election of the new chair there were further changes in the committee: Dr. Araceli Venegas-Gomez and Giorgio Nocerino left to pick up new challenges, and Hripsime Mkrtchyan (from Yerevan, Armenia) and Tanausú Hernández (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) , who joined early this year, were formally introduced. Many thanks to Araceli and Giorgio for their valuable contributions over the years and all the best for their future and to Roberta for leading the project during the previous two years successfully, and welcome to Hripsime and Tanausú.

Moreover, during the meeting the newly composed committee decided to aim at organizing a series of online seminars on networking and professional development. As some sections have already successfully launched online formats during the crisis to stay in touch with their audience, e.g. the outreach format Fisica in quarantena from Naples, the Action Committee would like to provide the sections content that would otherwise be included in the postponed leadership meeting. The first edition will be launched on 9^th of June: Francesca di Franco, former member of the Naples YM section PONYS, will share her know-how on the production of multimedia contents to maximize the impact of science-related activities on social media.

From left to right: Hripsime Mkrtchyan, Tanausú Hernández, and Richard Zeltner