The Equal Opportunity Committee of the Italian Physical Society (SIF), whose members are Anna Di Ciaccio, Maria Rosaria Masullo, Sara Pirrone (Chair), Massimiliano Rinaldi, Paolo Rossi, Silvia Soria, carried out two activities on the occasion of the annual National Congress of the Society that, due to the pandemic, has been held this year via online streaming from 14 to 18 September.

The two activities were titled “The Women Scientist of the Sections” and “The modified time during the COVID19 period”.

In “The Women Scientist of the Sections” activity, related to the problem of the gender equality in physics, each traditional scientific section of the Congress (see also at https://www.primapagina.sif.it/issue/82) has been represented by a woman scientist, specifically selected in the field of physics of that section.

For this year we have chosen Lisa Meitner (Vienna 1878–Cambridge 1968) to represent the section “Nuclear and Subnuclear Physics”, Rita Brunetti (Milano 1890–Pavia 1942) for“Solid State Physics”, Vera Rubin (Philadelphia 1928–Princeton 2016) for “Astrophysics”, Giuseppina Aliverti (Somma Lombardo 1894–Napoli 1982) for “Geophysics and Physics of the Environment”, Daria Bocciarelli (Parma 1910–Roma 2006) for “Biophysics and Medical Physics”, Hedy Lamarr (Vienna 1914–Altomonte Springs Florida 2000) for “Applied Physics, Accelerators and Physics applied to Cultural Heritage” and Laura Bassi (Bologna 1711–Bologna 1778) for “Physics Education and History of Physics”.

This activity can be considered in the framework of the so-called “mentoring action”, that helps to create a “leading figure”, which is so important especially for young people when the future choices have to be made. We proposed some examples of women who have excelled in a field of physics, and that can be a model to emulate for the new generations. We selected in particular women scientist of the past that had great difficulties to come out on top, just for a gender question, that is for the sole reason that they were women. Beautiful revisited pictures and biographic cards were prepared, which you can see at  https://www.sif.it/attivita/cpo/scienziate-2020-cpo

In the activity “The modified time during the COVID19 period”, related to the study of gender difference in particular social situations, we have realized short interviews to male and female, junior and senior, staff and temporary researchers in physics. The subject concerned how the lockdown period during the pandemic modified the time and the way to live in connection with one’s own scientific activity. The aim was to highlight gender differences or inequalities, and if any, to search for the reasons, the motivations, the stereotypes and the social conditioning for this. You can see the videos of the interviews at https://www.sif.it/attivita/cpo/interviste-2020-cpo

In 2013, the European Physical Society [EPS] launched the Emmy Noether Distinction to recognize noteworthy women physicists.

Emmy Noether was an influential theoretical physicist, and a role model for future generations of physicists. The laureates of the Emmy Noether Distinction are chosen for their capacity to inspire the next generation of scientists, and especially encourage women to handle careers in physics.

The previous prizes were awarded to:

• Prof. Sibylle Günter, IPP, Germany (2015)
• Prof. Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland (2015)

• Prof. Anne L’Huillier, Faculty of Engineering, LTH in Lund, Sweden (2014)
• Dr. Alessandra Gatti, Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnologies [IFN-CNR], Como, Italy (2014)
  
  
• Prof. Nynke Dekker, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands (2013)
• Dr. Rumiana Dimova, MPI Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany (2013)

The EPS Emmy Noether Distinction for Women in Physics is awarded twice a year. The selection committee, appointed by the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee, will consider nominations for female scientists working in Europe.

To make a nomination, please email the following information to the EPS Secretariat:

• A cover letter, detailing (in no more than 3 paragraphs) the motivation for awarding the Emmy Noether distinction to the nominee;
• The nominee’s name, institution and email;
• The nominee’s résumé;
• The nominator’s name, institution, and email.

Download the distinction charter.
Read more about the Emmy Noether distinction on the EPS website.