In this engaging talk for International Women and Girls in Science Day, we delve into the fascinating world of STEM. We’ll start by defining what STEM is and why it is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving world. Our postdoc, Livia Chatzieleftheriou, will share her professional journey, highlighting her experiences and the reasons behind her decision to pursue a career in STEM. We will explore the positive aspects of research and STEM careers, such as the opportunities for travel, meeting people from diverse cultures, and the potential for a rewarding salary.

She will also discuss some of her research works, focusing on practical applications like autonomous vehicles, the content recommendation algorithms used, e.g., by Netflix, and augmented reality applications. We will see how mathematics, as the foundation of many technologies, is a key tool to tackle the above applications. To make the session interactive, we’ll include a fun game and conclude by celebrating influential women in science and technology, both past and present, such as Hedy Lamarr, Marian Croak, and Yvonne Brill.