Astronomer Teresa Panequeque attracts girls to science – 11/22/2023 – Science

Astronomer and star on Instagram and TikTok, Teresa Paneque, 26, is one of Chile’s most popular science communicators. Her greatest contribution to science is Carlota, a fictional character who encourages girls to delve deeper into the study of the Universe.

Paneque teaches science in the world capital of astronomy, Chile, with its countless telescopes installed in the Atacama Desert, the driest on the planet.

Daughter of a Cuban biochemist and a Chilean pharmaceutical chemist, the young woman began studying astronomy at the age of 16 and is currently pursuing a doctorate in the Netherlands.

She became known in 2019 for her social media posts. Using simple language, she addresses topics such as the rotation of the Earth, the formation of the planets or the arrival of man on the Moon. She currently has 247 thousand followers on Instagram and 771 thousand on TikTok.

The astronomer caught the attention of a publisher, who invited her to write a fun book about her topic of study. In 2021, “El Universo Según Carlota” (the universe according to Carlota) was born. There are already three volumes and around 25 thousand copies sold.

The pages tell the story of a 12-year-old girl with long hair who wears a coat printed with stars. Carlota hated science classes, but ended up connecting with the immensity of the Universe at a science fair in which she was forced to participate.

“This book is not for all the boys and girls who read it to be scientists. It is for them to realize that, if they want, they can be,” says Paneque.

In her first years of college, the astronomer had only male teachers: “Until I started my master’s degree and I had teachers who were physicists, astronomers, who were leaders in their fields. Today, when I think about who inspires me in science, they are my teachers “.

Recently appointed Unicef ​​ambassador in Chile, the astronomer spoke to AFP during her visit to Santiago.

How did you get into astronomy?
I really liked understanding our surroundings. I discovered physics, which uses mathematics as a language to predict and model nature, and it seemed magical to me. And within physics, it seemed to me that astronomy was the most challenging, because it studies something that we cannot touch, interact with, that we cannot experience except through light.

What message does Carlota convey to girls?
I would like us to talk about women in science in future books. And maybe we’ll talk about a crisis of representation. I would like to be able to present these characters, these hidden or lost figures, through Carlota, because women have always been there, we have always been fundamental.

Why your interest in women and science?
Because statistically, women have half of the answers, just as men have the other half. A science only for women is not useful for us, a science only for men is not useful for us, and for every great idea that emerged in the last century, there was probably another great idea from a woman who never had the opportunity, never had the possibility of accessing the this education.

Scientist or science communicator?
People are multidisciplinary. In addition to networks, books and science, I would really like to be able to contribute to public policies. I have a very critical view of the need to promote scientific education.

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