About Elargis tes Horizons
In our society and culture, toys, education and attitudes convey the idea that science and technology are not for girls. However, career choices are required from the age of 12–14, an age where social influence is strong.
The low number of girls in STEM has significant consequences for women's financial security, the economy, and innovation.
They only represent about 20% of jobs in science, engineering, and IT. Only 7% of CIOs are women, and one in seven is an engineer, despite 60% of women holding a bachelor's degree and women representing 48% of the active population.
These inequalities start appearing during primary school, where an unconscious bias leads boys towards science, despite similar results in mathematics.
The Estelle study
ETH's study, conducted by Deuxième Observatoire [↗], analyses the career paths of girls who took part in these events between 2009 and 2015.
It shows a persistent adherence to gender roles, and the need, perceived by girls, to prove their legitimacy in male-dominated fields.
Family support, especially from fathers, is crucial in encouraging them to pursue a scientific career.
ETH's fun activities open up new perspectives, and help participants envisage careers in science.
Expanding Your Horizons Geneva organisation is a non-profit association dedicated to offering young girls new experiences in the fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that they would never have imagined existed.
Our goal isto encourage young girls to study science and technology and to consider a career in one of these fields.
Our activities also provide an opportunity for young girls to meet women working in scientific positions and to get together with other girls their age who are interested in science.
So far, around 2,000 young women from the Geneva region have taken part in our outings and events, and are now starting university or technical training courses (apprenticeships or schools). We are currently setting up a study to monitor the impact of our work.
We are very motivated by the enthusiasm generated during and after the events, and by the many requests to do more!
"My daughter loved her visit to the Skyguide control tower, and now wants to make it her career! It's wonderful to give our daughters opportunities like this!"
The committee
Lorraine McDowell
President
Lorraine has always been passionate about science, from her early days in the laboratory to her current work in the pharmaceutical industry, where she analyses clinical trial data. After graduating with a degree in genetics in the United Kingdom, she noticed the lack of girls in this field, going so far as to take her science exams at a boys' school. When she joined EYH in 2009, she wanted to encourage girls to choose a scientific career path. She lives in Geneva with her husband and their three children.
Lena Maislisch
Committee
Lena has a background in biochemistry and has been working in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector for over 20 years. Both science and education, particularly for young people, are subjects close to her heart. So when a friend on the organising committee asked her to volunteer for the 2013 edition of EYH, she immediately accepted. Lena was so enthusiastic about the event that she decided to join the committee for the following edition.
Marie Mellody
Committee
Marie, trained in biochemistry and microbiology, has been working in academia and biomedicine for over 30 years. Having travelled and worked in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, she teaches science to young people with passion and enthusiasm. A volunteer at EYH for eight years, she joined the Committee in 2023 to strengthen her commitment to scientific vocations.
Kenneth Wong
Vice-president and coordinator of annual activities, as well as workshops and stands at the biennial event.
A physicist and chemist, Kenneth has had an international career in the chemical industry, studying the interactions between active ingredients and complex environments in perfumery, cosmetics, paints and plastics. He considers diversity to be essential to the sustainability of organisations and their teams, as well as to nature and its balance, hence his involvement with EYH.
Caroline Eghagha Oyeyi
Committee
Half Swiss and half Nigerian, Caroline grew up in Lagos and moved to Geneva in her late teens. She always knew that there was no intellectual difference between boys and girls and passed this belief on to her four children (two girls and two boys). She joined EYH in 2017 and is thoroughly enjoying the experience!
Angela Piazzi
Committee
Angela has over 30 years of experience in new drug development. She has held positions as an inspector, project manager and director of teams responsible for setting up and conducting clinical trials at European and global levels. She has made it her mission to share her passion for research and her industry experience with as many girls as possible. That is why she joined the EYH committee in 2023.
Silvie Holowaty
Secretary, development officer and website editor
Silvie, who was drawn to science from an early age, studied mathematics, psychology and 3D computer graphics. She has worked passionately in research, teaching and the creation of educational materials (games, books, films, software). Convinced that girls have a rightful place in science, she enthusiastically joined the EYH project, motivated by a desire to promote equality and access to science for all.
Chloë Sheikh - Kadir
Committee
Chloë holds a degree in genetics from University College London. The combination of an MSc in biological photography and imaging and a master's degree in museology has helped her to better understand how to get people interested in science. She has enthusiastically managed science communication and education projects in Brussels, London and Geneva.
Elle a géré avec enthousiasme des projets de communication et d’éducation scientifiques à Bruxelles, Londres et Genève.
Valérie Barbié
Committee
Valérie trained as a computer engineer and has always worked in the field of bioinformatics, both in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry. Involved in several initiatives related to education, particularly for young girls, she has been a volunteer with Elargis tes Horizons since 2012.
Elfriede Egger
Treasurer
Elfriede is a trained accountant. She has worked as an accountant in a wide variety of fields. Elfriede enjoys interacting with people. She has travelled extensively and volunteers in several places. Elfriede has always loved mathematics and joined EYH in 2022. She is delighted to be part of EYH, helping to encourage young girls to study science and technology.
Nicoletta Garelli
Volunteer Coordinator
Nicoletta is a particle physicist with 15 years of experience working on the ATLAS experiment at CERN (Geneva) and SLAC (California). An expert in problem solving, she has worked on detectors, data acquisition, triggering and software. An efficient and motivating coordinator, she has also organised training courses, workshops and the CERN Open Days 2019. She led CERN's contribution to the EYH biennial events in 2017 and 2019.
Sponsors
The Expanding Your Horizons Geneva team warmly thanks its local sponsors. Thank you for encouraging young girls to pursue careers in science, engineering, mathematics and technology (STEM) !
Partners
We are also very grateful for our trusted partners:
History
Inspired by an organisation founded in 1974 in California, Lorraine McDowell, Andrea Delannoy, Wendy Keller, François Aye, Florence Coulin Talabot and Nathalie Pataki realised that it is often difficult for young girls to access STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). This career choice still represents nowadays a real challenge for many of them.
Faced with this need and growing demand in the Lake Léman region, they decided to found together, in 2011, the association Élargis tes Horizons Genève (ETH).
Activity Report and Statutes
Our 2022 activity report and our Statutes are available on request by email at president@elargisteshorizons.ch [↗].
ETH Geneva is part of the STEM project of the Geneva State Council.
