Alois a global network to support Algerian women in science Alois a global network to support Algerian women in science

Alois a global network to support Algerian women in science

Alois a global network to support Algerian women in science With time, the group has expanded into a global network of more than 350 women in 14 countries, working together to advance the position of Algerian women in science through various programs.  In Algeria, which ranks first in the world in terms of the proportion of women engineers in the world, according to a UNESCO report issued in February 2021 on the occasion of the International Day of Girls and Women in Science; Algerian women in the sciences still need a lot of guidance and accompaniment in order to advance their research and integrate professionally.  This is what the Algerian Women in Science group (Alois) is working towards, which celebrates this month its two-year anniversary, while anticipating the conclusion of its training program during the same month after nearly a year of continuous work.  Towards a global network in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; Female students need guidance and accompaniment to achieve their goals. This is what Algerian researcher Anisa Belfatmi discovered when she moved to study in France and then the United States.  Anisa says - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net via the Zoom platform - "As a graduate student, I was lost and lacking guidance, it is difficult to know what you really want in the field of scientific research, in science there are always codes and things that are not said, which makes many opportunities lost. of the Algerian students. "During my studies in the West, I realized the need for institutions that are interested in guiding and accompanying Algerian women in science," she adds.  This idea continued to accompany Anisa - who is currently working at Harvard Medical School in the United States of America - until the emergence of the Corona epidemic; With the spread of the culture of distance education and the expansion of the use of modern communication technologies and virtual meetings, she presented her idea to her friends who interacted with her and ended her actual embodiment in April 2020, with the participation of Algerian researchers working in prestigious international institutes and universities.  Anisa Belfatmi: I realized the need for an institution that is interested in guiding and accompanying Algerian women in science (Al Jazeera) Guidance is essential in science Over time, the group expanded and turned into a global network of more than 350 women in 14 countries, working together to support and enhance the position of Algerian women in science through various programs, including a digital platform to announce available employment opportunities, a series of orientation workshops and open discussion sessions for students in science departments. Female graduates, researchers, and entrepreneurs, sometimes more than 70 women in each workshop.  And about the training programs, Anisa says to Al Jazeera Net, "In the beginning, we relied on individual guidance, that is, each researcher supervises one trainee, but then we noticed that the trainees feel shy about individual work, so we moved to group guidance on the basis of specialization."  Thus, sub-sections were created within the network on the basis of specialization, as each trained researcher supervises a specific department and undertakes the task of preparing the program that suits the trainees, such as the departments of biology, engineering, and computer science in particular, which attracts a large number of Algerian women.  The trainers and trainees meet every month to discuss various scientific issues, including guidance for master's and doctoral students, for example, research fields and methods, how to edit scientific articles and pursue a post-doctoral research career, while the guidance for female engineers includes ways to move to industry.  On this, Anisa says, "Exchanging ideas during the workshops produces new research ideas and creates opportunities for joint projects. Scientific thought needs collective discussion that complements individual effort, and this is achieved by the presence of Algerian women researchers discussing from Australia, England, the United States, Japan and others."  Remote coaches and trainers Since last June, the orientation program launched by the "Always" group for the benefit of about 20 Algerian women in the field of science is still going on, and it is expected that the series of workshops will be concluded by the end of this month.  On this, the Algerian researcher in biology and trainer in the network, Soukaina Ben Abdelkader, says to Al Jazeera Net, "Accompanying Algerian women in biology in particular and in various sciences in general and linking them to a network of experts in their specialization according to their professional goals, whether they are an employee, academic researcher or entrepreneur; enhances their presence and contribution to the development of The scientific and economic sector, which is what the group does.  Sakina added, "The group integrated the Algerian women specialized in sciences inside and outside the country into one network, which facilitated the provision of information and scientific opportunities, the exchange of experiences, the expansion of the professional network and the development of knowledge, especially for those inside the country." She adds, "There was diligence and flexibility on the part of the members for the success of the workshops, especially because of the time difference between countries and professional associations."  For her part, the fuel engineer and trainer in the network, Amina Salis, told Al Jazeera Net, "I received an offer to be a professional mentor in the program, and I was excited to participate because I was interested in empowering women in the fields of technology, engineering and mathematics, and that the field of hydrocarbons engineering was a purely male field and very poor in terms of female mentors."  The program is distinguished because it has adapted to the situation of the Corona pandemic, so that it depends mainly on communication with the Internet, and it is also a bridge of communication between experienced women, students and recent graduates who are thirsty for learning.” She mentions her distinguished experience with the student Asmaa Boumzoud, who supervised her training in the program through meetings via Zoom, then It evolved into encounters in reality.  This was confirmed by Asmaa Bouzoud, a student at the Faculty of Hydrocarbons at the University of Boumerdes, to Al Jazeera Net, "I was fortunate to participate in this program under the supervision of the engineer, Amina Salis, as she contributed to enriching my knowledge and educational balance with various technical skills in my field of study. She was a support and a source of positive energy." .  Ihssan Brahimi, a student majoring in computer sciences at the National High School for Computer Science in Algeria, tells Al Jazeera Net about her experience with the group, "Anisa gave me the opportunity of a virtual meeting with an American consultant about the opportunities and difficulties facing Algerian women in the field of technology, and for me it was a wonderful experience despite its simplicity, I believe Personally, a large percentage of girls suffer from self-confidence in this field compared to males, and I gained confidence in myself thanks to this experience.”  Orientation is an important culture in scientific research And about the importance of the culture of "mentoring", Salma Bakush (blogger and engineer) told Al Jazeera Net, "I had discussions with Anisa about our experiences with mentoring and its positive impact on our career path. The group's reliance on digital mentoring is appropriate to enhance the use of technological platforms for communication."  Regarding her role in the group, Salma says, "My role was to find suitable female trainers for the trainees, especially in the field of fuel. I contacted my friends who are interested in guidance as volunteers and in supporting women in the field of science, as they allocate an hour every month to answer the trainees' questions and share with them the available opportunities, whether they are training or programs that allow them to developing their career paths.  Salma praises the group's website for the richness of the opportunities and programs available to women in sciences, and her aspiration for "guidance" to become a culture available in professional and academic circles in Algeria.  It is expected that the "Always" group will launch a challenge in the field of artificial intelligence under the supervision of Malika Eid Boudris, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, and it will be directed to Algerian students, and the winners will benefit from guidance and support to publish scientific articles related to their research in cooperation with the trainers.  On this, Anisa says to Al Jazeera, "The most important thing for us is credibility. We do not make promises that we cannot fulfill. Every time we launch a program and then evaluate it, and upon its success we launch a new version, and this will be the case for this challenge."

With time, the group has expanded into a global network of more than 350 women in 14 countries, working together to advance the position of Algerian women in science through various programs.

In Algeria, which ranks first in the world in terms of the proportion of women engineers in the world, according to a UNESCO report issued in February 2021 on the occasion of the International Day of Girls and Women in Science; Algerian women in the sciences still need a lot of guidance and accompaniment in order to advance their research and integrate professionally.

This is what the Algerian Women in Science group (Alois) is working towards, which celebrates this month its two-year anniversary, while anticipating the conclusion of its training program during the same month after nearly a year of continuous work.

Towards a global network
in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; Female students need guidance and accompaniment to achieve their goals. This is what Algerian researcher Anisa Belfatmi discovered when she moved to study in France and then the United States.

Anisa says - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net via the Zoom platform - "As a graduate student, I was lost and lacking guidance, it is difficult to know what you really want in the field of scientific research, in science there are always codes and things that are not said, which makes many opportunities lost. of the Algerian students. "During my studies in the West, I realized the need for institutions that are interested in guiding and accompanying Algerian women in science," she adds.

This idea continued to accompany Anisa - who is currently working at Harvard Medical School in the United States of America - until the emergence of the Corona epidemic; With the spread of the culture of distance education and the expansion of the use of modern communication technologies and virtual meetings, she presented her idea to her friends who interacted with her and ended her actual embodiment in April 2020, with the participation of Algerian researchers working in prestigious international institutes and universities.

Guidance is essential in science
Over time, the group expanded and turned into a global network of more than 350 women in 14 countries, working together to support and enhance the position of Algerian women in science through various programs, including a digital platform to announce available employment opportunities, a series of orientation workshops and open discussion sessions for students in science departments. Female graduates, researchers, and entrepreneurs, sometimes more than 70 women in each workshop.

And about the training programs, Anisa says to Al Jazeera Net, "In the beginning, we relied on individual guidance, that is, each researcher supervises one trainee, but then we noticed that the trainees feel shy about individual work, so we moved to group guidance on the basis of specialization."

Thus, sub-sections were created within the network on the basis of specialization, as each trained researcher supervises a specific department and undertakes the task of preparing the program that suits the trainees, such as the departments of biology, engineering, and computer science in particular, which attracts a large number of Algerian women.

The trainers and trainees meet every month to discuss various scientific issues, including guidance for master's and doctoral students, for example, research fields and methods, how to edit scientific articles and pursue a post-doctoral research career, while the guidance for female engineers includes ways to move to industry.

On this, Anisa says, "Exchanging ideas during the workshops produces new research ideas and creates opportunities for joint projects. Scientific thought needs collective discussion that complements individual effort, and this is achieved by the presence of Algerian women researchers discussing from Australia, England, the United States, Japan and others."

Remote coaches and trainers
Since last June, the orientation program launched by the "Always" group for the benefit of about 20 Algerian women in the field of science is still going on, and it is expected that the series of workshops will be concluded by the end of this month.

On this, the Algerian researcher in biology and trainer in the network, Soukaina Ben Abdelkader, says to Al Jazeera Net, "Accompanying Algerian women in biology in particular and in various sciences in general and linking them to a network of experts in their specialization according to their professional goals, whether they are an employee, academic researcher or entrepreneur; enhances their presence and contribution to the development of The scientific and economic sector, which is what the group does.

Sakina added, "The group integrated the Algerian women specialized in sciences inside and outside the country into one network, which facilitated the provision of information and scientific opportunities, the exchange of experiences, the expansion of the professional network and the development of knowledge, especially for those inside the country." She adds, "There was diligence and flexibility on the part of the members for the success of the workshops, especially because of the time difference between countries and professional associations."

For her part, the fuel engineer and trainer in the network, Amina Salis, told Al Jazeera Net, "I received an offer to be a professional mentor in the program, and I was excited to participate because I was interested in empowering women in the fields of technology, engineering and mathematics, and that the field of hydrocarbons engineering was a purely male field and very poor in terms of female mentors."

The program is distinguished because it has adapted to the situation of the Corona pandemic, so that it depends mainly on communication with the Internet, and it is also a bridge of communication between experienced women, students and recent graduates who are thirsty for learning.” She mentions her distinguished experience with the student Asmaa Boumzoud, who supervised her training in the program through meetings via Zoom, then It evolved into encounters in reality.

This was confirmed by Asmaa Bouzoud, a student at the Faculty of Hydrocarbons at the University of Boumerdes, to Al Jazeera Net, "I was fortunate to participate in this program under the supervision of the engineer, Amina Salis, as she contributed to enriching my knowledge and educational balance with various technical skills in my field of study. She was a support and a source of positive energy." .

Ihssan Brahimi, a student majoring in computer sciences at the National High School for Computer Science in Algeria, tells Al Jazeera Net about her experience with the group, "Anisa gave me the opportunity of a virtual meeting with an American consultant about the opportunities and difficulties facing Algerian women in the field of technology, and for me it was a wonderful experience despite its simplicity, I believe Personally, a large percentage of girls suffer from self-confidence in this field compared to males, and I gained confidence in myself thanks to this experience.”

Orientation is an important culture in scientific research
And about the importance of the culture of "mentoring", Salma Bakush (blogger and engineer) told Al Jazeera Net, "I had discussions with Anisa about our experiences with mentoring and its positive impact on our career path. The group's reliance on digital mentoring is appropriate to enhance the use of technological platforms for communication."

Regarding her role in the group, Salma says, "My role was to find suitable female trainers for the trainees, especially in the field of fuel. I contacted my friends who are interested in guidance as volunteers and in supporting women in the field of science, as they allocate an hour every month to answer the trainees' questions and share with them the available opportunities, whether they are training or programs that allow them to developing their career paths.

Salma praises the group's website for the richness of the opportunities and programs available to women in sciences, and her aspiration for "guidance" to become a culture available in professional and academic circles in Algeria.

It is expected that the "Always" group will launch a challenge in the field of artificial intelligence under the supervision of Malika Eid Boudris, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, and it will be directed to Algerian students, and the winners will benefit from guidance and support to publish scientific articles related to their research in cooperation with the trainers.

On this, Anisa says to Al Jazeera, "The most important thing for us is credibility. We do not make promises that we cannot fulfill. Every time we launch a program and then evaluate it, and upon its success we launch a new version, and this will be the case for this challenge."

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