11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To celebrate the holiday and support the advancement of women in science, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in cooperation with the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum named after V. G. Kadyshevsky has issued a video in which girls studying at the Lyceum ask their questions to female researchers of JINR.

Girls from the Lyceum, who have addressed their questions to scientists, love their study and science. Anna Smirnova is keen on Mathematics and Physics, she dreams about discovering a new chemical element in the Periodic Table and calling it “smirnovium”. Anastasia Cherepanova is interested in the biological domain and plans to connect her career path with medicine. Maria Kopeikina dreams about becoming a psychologist. She loves the Russian language and Chemistry. Alisa Korchagina and Uliana Savelieva are not only keen on their study but are also hosts of the radio “Lyceum Voice FM” and take part in all important events of the Lyceum.

Female scientists of JINR, who answered the questions from the Lyceum students, conduct a wide range of studies at JINR. Marina Frontasieva, Advisor to the FLNP JINR Director for applied studies and innovations, heads a scientific team studying the air and water pollution by moss in the European Union, molluscs in South Africa, etc. She is also a Coordinator of the UN Programme on Air in Europe. Alexandra Friesen, a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, uses methods of theoretical physics and mathematical modelling to study quark-gluon plasma within the NICA project. Anastasia Russakovich, an engineer at the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, carries out genetic studies, which have allowed her and her colleagues to create tests able to quickly and cheaply assess health and longevity of people, as well as the allergy predisposition.

The UN General Assembly established the holiday in 2015 in order to achieve full and equal participation of women and girls of any age in the development of science, technology, and innovations. The world professional community worries that only 30% of researchers are women and tries to pay attention to this issue. The holiday aids in marking the contribution made by female scientists to the advancement of science and technologies, as well as in engaging even more women in studies.