By Carmen Morcelle and Maria Garcia

Have you ever pondered the mysteries of the Universe or wondered how our brain works? If so, you share something with scientists: curiosity, an innate interest in understanding the world around us.

Fascination with the unknown is natural, but how does that curiosity lead to a scientific career?  What challenges do scientists encounter along their path to uncover nature’s best-kept secrets?

To answer all these questions while showcasing groundbreaking research, the Women in Science Committee at ECUSA (MECUSA) and artist Quan Zhou joined forces in 2021 for the  “Ellas son Ciencia” (Women are Science) project, aiming to demonstrate that talent and inspiration know no gender or geographic boundaries. Recently, inspired by this initiative, we opened two exhibition spaces: one at the KJCC-NYU in New York City and another at the University of Malaga (Spain), displaying not only the artwork developed for the project but also new pieces that reveal the creative journey behind it. 

The opening dates of the two exhibitions were set in late February and March, coinciding with Women’s History Month. This timing was particularly meaningful for the team behind the project, as one of the main aims of “Ellas son Ciencia” is to give visibility to women in research, a group that has historically received less attention from the media compared to their male counterparts.

At the KJCC-NYU, attendees giving opening speeches included Professor and KJCC’s Director Jordana Mendelson, Isabel Rivero from the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute, Lucia Regales – one of the scientists featured in the comics – and Carmen Morcelle, Chair of MECUSA. The artist illustrating the comics, Quan Zhou, explained the creative process “behind the scenes”, which involved close collaborations between three key partners: MECUSA’s team, the scientists depicted in the comics and Zhou herself.

One unique aspect of the exhibition in NYC is that the artwork is displayed in its original language, Spanish, though its English version can be accessed easily by scanning a QR code next to the different pieces showcased . “We wanted to make Science and the journey behind each of these extraordinary women available to all audiences, but keep the focus on the huge Spanish-speaking population in NYC, for whom role models in Spanish might not be so easy to find”, says Zhou.

At the University of Málaga, the exhibition opening was commissioned by Carmen Cortés, professor at the University of Málaga, and attendees included the Vice Chancellor for Culture at the University of Málaga Rosario Gutiérrez and Maria Garcia, part of MECUSA’s team. In addition to the comics, this space includes a video explaining the project as well as objects linked to day-to-day scientific work.

*The exhibition at the KJCC-NYU will be available until December 2024, and it will be open to the public whenever there is a scheduled program at the KJCC.To make an appointment to visit the exhibit you can email: kjc.info@nyu.edu*The exhibition at the University of Málaga is currently being showcased at the School of Communications and Technology and will be soon changing its location. For more information, please email mecusa@ecusa.es.

**Carmen Morcelle is the Chair of MECUSA and Maria Garcia is one of MECUSA’s Project Coordinators