On February 11, Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) hosted an event initiated by The Association of Spanish Scientists in the Baltic Countries (ACEBaltic) to commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

The event aimed to inspire and encourage women and girls to pursue careers in science, emphasizing the necessity for government institutions, the academic community, and society to collaborate in creating a more inclusive, equal, and prosperous scientific world.

MRU welcomed prominent figures from the academic and institutional communities, including: H.E. María Nieves Blanco Díaz, Ambassador of Spain to Lithuania, Dr. Eva Ortega-Paíno, Secretary General for Research of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain, Dr. Regina Valutytė, Vice-Minister of Education, Science and Sport of Lithuania, Dr. habil. Gražina Tautvaišienė, President of the Lithuanian Physical Society and Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), Dr. Cristina Bajo-Santos, molecular biology scientist, winner of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Young Talented Women in Science (2023).

The celebration began with an institutional and academic session, where MRU Rector Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, a member of the board of the European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) and Vice-President of the International Association of Universities (IAU), delivered a welcome speech.

"I am delighted to see, in this audience, women who have achieved impressive successes. We need to speak loudly about women’s achievements, but we must also be brave enough to address the obstacles that prevent women from developing their talents. We must defend the right of women and girls to education and training, especially in countries where they still have to fight hard for it", said Prof. Dr. Žalėnienė.

Following the session, participants gathered in the Rotonda Hall for the international exhibition AstrónomAs, which portrays the career of outstanding women in astronomy.

Later in the day, career discovery workshops were held at the MRU Lab for high school students. These creative and interactive workshops aimed to ignite young people's interest in science and help them explore various scientific career opportunities.