Three women. Three different paths through science.
Once a year, beneath the dome of Buenos Aires' Galileo Galilei Planetarium, science becomes something a young woman can picture herself inside. On June 13th, three researchers — a Spanish ESA astronaut reserve member, an Argentine satellite engineer, and a cosmologist — will gather with women aged 15 to 25 not merely to celebrate achievement, but to make visible the obstacles that shaped it. In a world where the gender gap in STEM persists as quietly as gravity, events like Apasionadas por el Universo insist that role models are not a luxury, but a condition for possibility.
- Sara García Alonso, selected from more than 22,000 candidates for the European Space Agency's astronaut reserve, brings rare international weight to a local stage dedicated to closing science's gender divide.
- The persistent underrepresentation of women in STEM fields across Argentina and the world gives this annual gathering its urgency — visibility alone can shift what a teenager believes is available to her.
- Rather than showcasing only triumph, the event deliberately centers the barriers each scientist faced, treating honesty about struggle as more useful to young women than polished success stories.
- An open-floor format lets attendees step away from the microphone and speak directly with the panelists, turning inspiration into something more like a real conversation.
- Now a fixture on Buenos Aires' cultural calendar, Apasionadas por el Universo is quietly building an infrastructure of female scientific visibility, one annual gathering at a time.
Sara García Alonso earned her place in the European Space Agency's astronaut reserve by outlasting more than 22,000 other candidates. A cancer biologist with a doctorate taken with highest honors, she became the first Spanish woman to reach that level in the ESA program. On June 13th, she will take her seat inside the dome of Buenos Aires' Galileo Galilei Planetarium for Apasionadas por el Universo — Passionate About the Universe — an annual event designed to put female scientists in front of young women who might not otherwise encounter them.
She will not be alone on the panel. Josefina Pérès, an electronics engineer who oversees satellite projects for Argentina's National Space Activities Commission, and Susana Landau, a cosmologist and researcher at Argentina's National Council for Scientific and Technical Research, will join her. Three women, three distinct trajectories through science — the point being that there is no single corridor into a research career.
The afternoon is structured in two movements. The panelists first speak about their own paths, with the organizers making a deliberate choice to foreground difficulty: what doors closed, what had to be pushed open. Then the room opens to the audience — young women between 15 and 25 — for direct questions and, between formal segments, unscripted conversation with the scientists themselves.
The event was born from a recognition that gender gaps in STEM remain a live problem in Argentina and far beyond it. Since its first edition, hundreds of young people have passed through the Planetarium for this gathering, and it has grown into one of the few spaces on Buenos Aires' cultural calendar explicitly dedicated to equity in science. The event begins at 2 p.m.
Sara García Alonso beat out more than 22,000 other candidates to earn her place in the European Space Agency's astronaut reserve. She holds a doctorate in cancer biology, earned it with highest honors, and became the first woman in Spain to reach that level in the ESA program. On Saturday, June 13th, she will sit in the dome of Buenos Aires' Galileo Galilei Planetarium and talk to young women about how she got there.
The event is called Apasionadas por el Universo—Passionate About the Universe—and it happens once a year. This year's edition will draw teenagers and young adults between 15 and 25 who are curious about science and technology. García Alonso will not carry the panel alone. Josefina Pérès, an electronics engineer who manages satellite projects for Argentina's National Space Activities Commission, will sit beside her. So will Susana Landau, an astronomer with a doctorate who researches cosmology at Argentina's National Council for Scientific and Technical Research. Three women. Three different paths through science: space exploration, satellite engineering, the study of the universe at its largest scales. The point is to show that there is no single way to build a career in science.
The afternoon unfolds in two parts. First, the three panelists will talk about their own journeys—where they came from, what they studied, what doors opened and which ones slammed shut. The organizers have made a deliberate choice to center the obstacles. What did each woman have to overcome? What barriers did she face? Then the room opens. Young women in the audience ask questions. They talk directly with the scientists. Between the formal sections, there is unstructured time—a chance to approach the panelists without the weight of a microphone, to have a real conversation.
Apasionadas por el Universo started because the gender gap in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, mathematics—remains a live problem in Argentina and everywhere else. The organizers wanted to put female role models in front of young women who might not otherwise see them. Since the first edition, hundreds of young people have come to the Planetarium for this event. It has become a regular part of Buenos Aires' cultural calendar, one of the few spaces dedicated explicitly to gender equity in research and science. The event begins at 2 p.m. on June 13th.
Notable Quotes
García Alonso became the first woman in Spain to reach the ESA astronaut reserve level— Event organizers
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that García Alonso was the first woman in Spain to reach the ESA astronaut reserve?
Because visibility shapes possibility. If you don't see someone who looks like you in a role, it's harder to imagine yourself there. She's proof that the path exists.
The event has three panelists with very different careers. Is that intentional?
Completely. The organizers want young women to understand that "science" isn't one thing. You can go to space, or build the satellites that go there, or study what's out there from the ground. Each is legitimate. Each is needed.
Why emphasize the obstacles each woman faced?
Because the polished version of success can feel unreachable. When you hear about the doors that closed, the moments of doubt, the systems that pushed back—that's when it becomes real. That's when a young woman thinks, "I could do that. I could handle that."
What happens in that unstructured time between the formal sections?
That's where the real work happens. A teenager can ask a question she's been afraid to ask. She can say, "I'm not sure I'm smart enough for this." And a scientist can look her in the eye and say, "Neither was I. Here's what changed."
Has this event been running long?
Long enough to become part of the city's rhythm. Hundreds of young people have come through. It's not a one-off. It's a signal that Buenos Aires takes this seriously.
What's the real problem this event is trying to solve?
That the gender gap in STEM isn't about ability. It's about visibility, encouragement, and knowing that people like you have walked the path before.