Last Thursday, November 16, the Chapel of Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona in the city of Barcelona hosted the awards ceremony for the ninth edition of the DonaTIC Awards. Previously, the Secretaria de Polítiques Digitals de la Generalitat de Catalunya had received eighty-six nominations. During the event, the work, professional career and projection of seven women technologists and two initiatives were recognized:
- Category Disseminator: Àurea Rodríguez López
Graduated in Biochemistry with a post-graduate degree in blockchain, she is the creator of #SINERGENTs, a blog about innovation and technology for all audiences that is currently published in various media.
- Category Initiatives Related to Companies: Launch in Barcelona
The initiative of STEM Women Congress aims to spread the word about science and technology and get more women into STEM disciplines. The project was born in the city of Barcelona by a group of volunteers.
- Category Initiatives Related to Entities/Institutions: City Council of Esplugues de Llobregat
The initiative of +Dones3. Ciència, Talent i Tecnologia. aims to promote effective and real equality of opportunity between men and women in the scientific and technological world through exciting proposals and activities.
- Category Entrepreneur: Conxi Pérez Andreu
Computer engineer and specialist in artificial intelligence, she is co-founder and CEO of RollDBox Games, experts in video games, and of In Movement!, experts in organizational and digital transformation.
- Category Professional: Mireia Colina Fatjó
Telecommunications engineer and master's degree in security and web technologies, she has an extensive professional career linked to digital technologies and has 20 years of experience in the space sector.
- Category ICT Student University: Ainhoa Castaño Martos
Double degree student of Computer Engineering and Electronic Telecommunications Engineering, actively participates in several dynamism initiatives on the Campus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
- Category ICT Student Professional Training: Emma Casadevall Hernández
Student of the Higher Degree Training Course in Computer Systems and Network Administration, specializing in cyber security, with other students, has designed a mobile application with artificial intelligence.
- Category Academic/Researcher: Aïda Valls Mateu
Computer engineer and doctor in artificial intelligence, she is a specialist in data analysis and recommendation systems. His university career has two aspects: teaching and research.
- Category DonaTIC Revelation: Alba Badia Rifà
Graduated in Industrial Technologies Engineering, she is president and responsible for the launch operations of Cosmic Research, a student association at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya de Terrassa.
This time, the business category was deserted. Also, four special mentions were given:
- Special mention in cyber security: Vanesa Daza Fernández
Graduate and PhD in Mathematics with specialization in the field of cryptography, she is currently vice-rector of Knowledge Transfer and professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra de Barcelona.
- Special mention in aerospace: Anna Ferré Mateu
An internationally recognized astrophysical researcher, she is a reference in the field of formation and the study of galaxies as a way to reveal what the universe is like and how it is constantly changing.
- Special mention in digital culture: Rosa Maria Gil Iranzo
PhD in Computer Science and Digital Communication, she promotes the relationship between art and technology from the city of Lleida and creates partnerships with local organizations and projects with a humanistic side within technology.
- Special mention in requalification or improvement of skills: Yolanda Moreno Arranz
Student of Higher Degree Training Course in Web Application Development, after graduating in Translation and Interpretation, changed sector to pursue studies related to digital technologies.
Previously, Gina Tost i Faus, secretària de Polítiques Digitals de la Generalitat de Catalunya, and Liliana Arroyo Moliner, directora general de Societat Digital de la Generalitat de Catalunya, addressed the audience. Both highlighted female talent and the fundamental role of women in the professional, business and academic world of digital technologies and asked the public to contribute to making new contemporary female references known. The conseller d’Empresa i Treball, Roger Torrent i Ramió, was in charge of closing the award ceremony of the ninth edition of the DonaTIC Awards. For the first time, the event was held last Thursday, November 16, International Women's Day. The institutional will was to influence the need to promote the empowerment, entrepreneurship and leadership of female talent and to ensure that women participate fully and under equal conditions in the world of work. In this sense, after 9 editions and 707 nominations, the DonaTIC Awards are consolidated as a reference award in the recognition of the fundamental role of women in the technological fields, as well as in the visibility of new contemporary female references for children, adolescents and young people from Catalonia.