Switch STEMM: change perspective
Science is not distant: it is made of people, stories, and choices.
Yet, far too often, educational paths are still influenced by gender stereotypes that limit opportunities and talent.
With this awareness, the University is launching the project “Switch STEMM: change perspective”, inspired by the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and developed within the framework of the 2022–2027 Strategic Plan, with the aim of highlighting the contribution of women researchers in STEMM fields.
The role of female role models is central: making scientific careers and experiences visible means offering concrete points of reference that can challenge conventional thinking and overcome stereotypes and cultural biases. The initiative, addressed to local high schools, aims to promote gender balance in educational choices, particularly in scientific and technological fields.
For whom? Why?
“Switch STEMM: change perspective” is aimed directly at high school students in their final three years.
The goal is to encourage an open and engaging dialogue with women scientists working in STEMM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine), offering students concrete opportunities to explore these disciplines, spark curiosity and interests, and engage with positive role models who challenge traditional role divisions.
Where and When?
First edition: Monday, May 11, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Povo 2 campus (Polo Ferrari 2, Via Sommarive 9 – Povo).
The morning is designed as an immersive, participatory, and stimulating experience in which science becomes storytelling, play, and encounter.
How?
Introduction: The day will open with an introductory session led by Professor Marta Biagioli, Delegate for Equity and Diversity Policies of the Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology.
Escape Room: At the heart of the experience will be a scientific escape room featuring a multi-stage pathway organized by the five STEMM Departments/Centers participating in the initiative (Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, Physics, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science and Information Engineering, Mathematics). Each station will be dedicated to a woman scientist representing a specific disciplinary field.
Through puzzles, logic games, quizzes, and small challenges, students will work together to solve problems inspired by the work and discoveries of these women scientists. At the end of the morning, participants will receive a short booklet dedicated to the scientists featured in the escape rooms.
Speed Dating with Research: During the initiative, students will also take part in “speed dating with research.” In an informal setting, small groups of students will have the opportunity to meet researchers, technologists, and professors, ask questions, hear stories about academic and professional paths, and discuss expectations, doubts, and opportunities.
Our Scientists
Simona Bordoni, full professor
I am an atmospheric physicist specializing in climate dynamics and large-scale atmospheric circulations. I am currently a Full Professor of Atmospheric Physics in the DICAM Department at the University of Trento. My scientific career developed over nineteen years in the United States, where I obtained my PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at NCAR in Boulder. From 2009 to 2019, I led my research group at Caltech as a Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering. After returning to Italy, I actively contribute to research and education in climate science, also supporting the development of the inter-university master’s degree in Environmental Meteorology and Climate Physics
Chiara Capecci, post-doc researcher
I graduated in Theoretical Physics from Sapienza University of Rome and hold a PhD in Mathematics and Models from the University of L'Aquila. I am currently a researcher in quantum computing and quantum simulation in the Department of Physics at the University of Trento. My research focuses on the development of quantum algorithms for optimization and quantum simulation, as well as on the study of quantum resources in many-body systems
Caterina Giovanzana, PhD student
Hi, I’m Caterina, a PhD student in Physics at the University of Trento – Laboratory for the Communication of Physical Sciences – and at Level Up s.r.l. (Trento). After a university education in mathematics, I am now exploring the use of augmented reality and artificial intelligence in physics education. In particular, the collaboration with Level Up has allowed me to work and experiment with AnReAL, an augmented reality software dedicated to the study of motion
Margherita Mele, PhD student
I graduated in Physics at the University of Trento, where I also obtained my PhD within the Statistical and Biological Physics (SBP) group. My research focuses on complex systems and on developing methods to describe them more simply while preserving their essential information. In particular, I study simulations of protein dynamics to identify the features that help us better understand their structure and function. I apply similar approaches to artificial neural networks, which I analyse to understand how they learn from data and organise information internally.
Chiara Menotti, CNR senior researcher
I am a researcher at the National Institute of Optics of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-INO). After earning a degree in Physics from the University of Pisa and a PhD from the Scuola Normale Superiore, I carried out research at the University of Innsbruck, the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Barcelona and, since 2008, at the Pitaevskii BEC Center in Trento. My work focuses on ultracold atoms, states of matter in which remarkable quantum phenomena emerge. I am actively involved in the INO outreach group and in the CNR network Il Linguaggio della Ricerca, which aims to bring schools and scientific research closer together. Within the national CNR project Change the Game, I developed QUANTO, a card game that allows players to explore the fundamental concepts of quantum physics through play and active engagement.
Ester Ricci, INFN researcher
After earning a Bachelor's degree in Physics and Astrophysics from the University of Florence and a Master's degree in Physics for Instrumentation and Technologies from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, I moved to Trento to pursue a PhD, where I contributed to the establishment of the APP (AstroParticle Physics) research group. I subsequently continued my career in Trento, first as a fixed-term researcher (RTD-A) in the Department of Physics. During this period, I was involved in the development of the HEPD-02 detector for the CSES-02 satellite mission, as well as several other research projects conducted both on the ground and in space. Since December 2025, I have been employed as a Technologist at the INFN TIFPA Centre, through which I continue my collaboration with the APP research group.