Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1533584
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 MARCH 2025 10 COMMERCIAL Women changing science: Today and in the future Emily Agius AS we celebrate International Women's Day, we honour the achievements of women in ad- vancing scientific progress and innovation in the national are- na. We have chosen to shine a spotlight on the brilliant women who have successfully collab- orated with Xjenza Malta, the national R&D and Space-fund- ing agency, in the areas of Re- search, Innovation and Space. These women together, with many others, are holding a light not only for the women of this generation, but also for the ones of the future: Dr Maria Azzopardi is a Di- rector at Xjenza Malta, manag- ing the Internationalisation Unit. She has shown an unwavering commitment to the improve- ment of Malta's international R&I funding and programming landscape. Dr Azzopardi's ded- ication to STEM education and to the promotion of responsible research practices, through her work for the University Research Ethics Committee, highlights her commitment to shaping the future of science and innovation on multiple fronts. Ms Noeleen Buttigieg is a chemistry researcher at Natu- ral Edge Ltd. She was the Prin- cipal Investigator in a two-year Research Excellence Project (REP) funded by Xjenza Malta, which focussed on developing eco-friendly, bio-based poly- mers as alternatives to synthet- ic plastics for food packaging. The successful completion of this REP led to the achievement of the runner-up Technologi- cal Initiative Award (2024), and has also opened new research and investment opportunities, paving the way to a better and healthier future for humans and for the planet. Ms Maria Cardona is a Sen- ior Research Officer at MCAST. She is specialised in the field of metamaterials, developing inno- vative molecules with the poten- tial to exhibit auxetic behaviour - materials that expand when stretched, defying conventional material properties. Ms Cardona was supported by Xjenza Malta for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, as well as in the more recent Research Excellence Programme project, OASES, which aims to develop a sensor for metal ions, with po- tential applications in future sol- id-state batteries. Prof. Marie Briguglio is a specialist in wellbeing, environ- mental cooperation and cultural participation, and a member of Council of the Malta Chamber of Scientists. Prof. Briguglio has been awarded the STEM Award for Engaged Research. She has regularly collaborated with Xjenza Malta in the process of accessing European Union funds earmarked for research, and has recently been awarded funding for a project on climate and well- being by Horizon Europe. Dr Christine Podrini is a lead- ing scientist with expertise in epigenetics, molecular biology, genetic therapies and microbio- ta research. Through her work at BioArte Ltd, she is driving efforts to identify microbiome-based biomarkers that could transform personalised cancer treatments. Dr Podrini's current research study, PIRIOP, funded by Xjenza Malta, is not only advancing the field of precision oncology, but also strengthening Malta's posi- tion in cutting-edge biomedical innovation. PIRIOP's findings could lead to a future where im- munotherapy is tailored to each patient's unique gut profile, op- timising treatment efficacy and advancing personalised cancer care. Dr Ing. Bonnie Attard has been sitting on the Executive Council of the Chamber of En- gineers since 2021 and is actively involved in organising outreach programmes to encourage stu- dent uptake within STEM, fo- cussing on the engineering profession. She is an academic with the Institute of Engineering and Transport within MCAST, where her research focusses on additive manufacturing tech- niques and performance of novel materials. Prof. Ing. Ann Zammit is an Associate Professor in the Fac- ulty of Engineering at the Uni- versity of Malta, specialising in Metallurgy and Materials Engi- neering. Prof. Zammit has been a principal investigator in var- ious projects funded by Xjenza Malta. She has also collaborated with international counterparts and been part of the manage- ment team of projects in other National Space Upstream Pro- grammes. Ms Angele Giuliano is an ex- perienced entrepreneur and ex- pert in the field of technology and business innovation. In re- cent years, she has helped many women entrepreneurs achieve success and is now a core part- ner of the Women TechEU pro- gramme, a 2-year EU-funded project supporting women lead- ing deep tech startup companies from Europe. Ms Giuliano is the CEO and managing director at AcrossLimits, which has been a beneficiary of project-funding since 2002, a trajectory becom- ing a pathway of success for the company. These women are role models who, by their efforts and initia- tives, continue to raise aware- ness on the need for greater gender parity in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The 2024 She Figures Index, is- sued by the European Commis- sion, shows that Malta's position in gender equality within re- search and innovation has seen positive developments, even though challenges remain. One of these is female representation in the science and engineering fields, which remains low at 3.8% of the workforce. While pro- gress has been noted in career progression (9th), and gender dimension in research (16th), challenges remain in research participation (23rd) and deci- sion-making (24th). This calls for more support to women in science who are inspiring future generations of female scientist and leaders. Xjenza Malta is proud to have been the first public sector or- ganisation to launch its Gender Equality Plan (GEP), in 2022. Since 2022, a GEP has become a requirement for public bodies, higher-education institutions and research organisations to participate in Horizon Europe and benefit from its support. As the host for the Horizon Europe National Contact Points, Xjenza Malta reaffirms its commitment to advancing gender equality, both internally and within the wider research and innovation community. Two students to represent Malta at the European Money Quiz in Brussels THEA Muscat, a student from St Nicholas College Dingli Sec- ondary School, and Owen Bar- tolo who attends Maria Regina College Mosta Zokrija Second- ary School, were selected as the national champions who will represent Malta at the European Money Quiz (EMQ) 2025 on 22- 23 May in Brussels. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Malta Bankers' Associa- tion (MBA), in collaboration with the Department of Accounting and Business Studies within the Directorate for STEM and VET Programmes, Ministry for Edu- cation Sport Youth Research and Innovation, organised the quiz at national level to select the Mal- tese participants for the EMQ final. The selection event was held on the Kahoot! platform for schools on 25 February, with around 400 students from various state, church, and independent schools simultaneously taking part in a challenging test of their financial knowledge. The two students were declared the national win- ners having answered the most questions correctly in the least amount of time among all partic- ipants. Thea Muscat and Owen Barto- lo will together participate in the EMQ as Malta's national team and will be joining the represent- atives from all other participating countries in the event which is hosted by the European Banking Federation. The MBA will cover the costs of the flight and accom- modation expenses for the stu- dents' trip to Brussels. The EMQ forms part of the activities of the European Mon- ey Week (EMW), which is held every year in March. The EMQ is the largest European-wide competition that aims to im- prove financial literacy among students between 13 to 15 years of age. Launched in 2017 under the coordination of the EBF as an initiative to promote financial ed- ucation by national banking asso- ciations in Europe, the EMQ is one of many activities organized in over 30 countries, including Malta, as part of the EMW. From left: MBA Assistant Secretary General Rita Sammut Buontempo, Education Officer for Accounting and Business Studies Joanne Zammit, Owen Bartolo, Thea Muscat and MBA Secretary General Karol Gabarretta.