Scientific progress needs women, especially in the nutrition sector - that's one of the messages that the Aspen Forum is bringing to Expo Milano 2015.
Three days of conferences will be held on women, science, food and food security as part of Women's Weeks. Honorary Women for Expo chief Emma Bonino said that "we live in a period of scientific obscurantism, at least in Italy, in which science scares even the political world. The sense of the positive nature of scientific research has been lost, and this can be seen in the constant cuts brought in by the government.
But scientific discoveries have improved our lives, and women can give a lot to science." In a world in which scientific research is fundamental for resolving environmental, energy, nutrition and human health issues, "women are still not represented enough," underscored Cristina Alberini, who teaches neuroscience at New York University. "Women are needed to set an example for young girls, who are often frightened away from scientific studies." Alberini has worked for years as a researcher in the US and has conducted important research into Alzheimer's Disease, discovering a hormone that many strengthen memory in patients affected by the neurogenerative disorder.
"Women can play a fundamental role in nutrition as well," she said. "But few work in this field, especially in developing countries." L'Oreal's project 'Women in Science' aims to improve women's position in science by awarding projects by female researchers that have contributed to scientific progress. "For 17 years we have been supporting the cause of women in science," the CEO of L'Oreal's Italian office, Cristina Scocchia, said. "We have given out over 2,000 scholarships in these years to young female scientists from around the world in different fields, and two of them have won the Nobel Prize." The 'For Girls in Science' project has been set up to help the young.
"By 2020, some 300,000 researchers will be needed in the world," Scocchia said, "the very number that is needed to reach gender parity in research." Former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, who worked to bring in President Obama's healthcare reform, also spoke about nutrition and health. Sebelius discussed obesity in the US, focusing on the childhood variety.
"We must educate parents and teachers first," she said.
The Obama Administration and especially First Lady Michelle Obama has worked on these issues to change the eating culture in the country, she noted.
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