Sergey Tokarev about the recent She is Science awarding ceremony
A welcome charitable event was conducted in Kyiv on June 10, 2021. The She is Science educational project organizers held the awarding ceremony of 12 finalists determined for the best essays about Ukrainian female scientists. Also, there was a place for a charity auction due to which the project organizers raised funds for contest winners’ education. A founder of the PAWA venture studio, the Roosh Tech company, and an initiator of the project, Sergey Tokarev, shared with the charitable auction’s results, the plans of the project, and its main concept.
The first stage of the project involved creating an art project by STEM is FEM charitable, educational organization that started in February this year. The main goal of it was to design 12 portraits of outstanding Ukrainian female scientists. The list of heroines combined both modern young scientists like mathematician Maryna Viazovska and ornithologist Natalia Atamas, and historical figures like physicist Olha Perevozchikova and programmer Kateryna Yushchenko. The initiator of the project, Sergey Tokarev, underlined that visualization would attract more attention than simple content. This feature defined the project’s concept: to appeal to as many people as possible and get them familiar with women in science and their contribution to the development of science.
The second stage of the project included the essay competition about the heroines on portraits. This competition was offered to girls aged 14 to 21. Except for describing the biography of women scientists and their contribution to science and society, they were to express their own perception of the heroines and substantiate the inspiration women scientists can provide. Sergey Tokarev added that they got 561 works and some of them came from other countries. He hoped the competitors whose works didn’t get to the final wouldn’t give up but continue improving their writing and the sciences they wrote about.
On June 10, 12 finalists of the competition were awarded, and the Grand Prix winner was defined. Anastasia Suvorova from Kyiv was lucky to take the winning position with an essay about ornithologist Natalia Atamas. As the winner, she received a $35,900 grant for education in any educational institution in the world. This prize included $4,000 offered by the competition organizers and $31,900 raised during the charity auction. The ceremony was accompanied by other surprising items presented by the project’s partners. Except for the series of portraits from She is Science, the ceremony performance was complemented by dresses and jewelry of popular brands and brunches with famous restaurateurs. In addition, Sergey Tokarev noticed that some guests of the event made a surprise with pleasant actions. For instance, Igor Mazepa, an investment banker, proposed a helicopter flight over the exclusion zone. Consequently, the money raised in the auction was aimed to cover the education of not only the winner but also some other participants.
Olena Zelenska, the First Lady of Ukraine, didn’t leave this event out of her attention. She was delighted with the whole performance and encouraged young Ukrainian activists to promote gender equality in science and build a unique society. Furthermore, Olena Zelenska stated that Ukraine is moving toward creating famous “stars” within the country.
Moreover, the awarding ceremony was attended by respectful persons like diplomats from France, Denmark, and Sweden and representatives of international organizations like NATO, UN, and other senior guests.
Due to Sergey Tokarev, it is not the end of the She is Science project. They plan to provide exhibitions throughout the country. The first exhibition is already formed and open to be visited until June 24 in the art space Kooperative in Kyiv. This exposition displays 12 essays and 12 respective paintings. The project organizers have planned the exposition performance in such cities as Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia, and Kryvyi Rih in the nearest future.
