The Direction Team at the Argentine Laboratory of Neutron Beams: Leaving a High-Heel Footprint

Abstract

In 2015, the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) of Argentina launched a project for a large-scale neutron facility: the Argentine Laboratory of Neutron Beams (LAHN). Rolando Granada was appointed as the facility Scientific Director and engineer Karina Pierpauli as its Executive Director. They soon gathered a group of neutron scientists from the institution who were willing to join this venture. Today, LAHN’s Board is composed of four members, three of whom are women: Karina Pierpauli, Florencia Cantargi and myself; together with Javier Santisteban. We are aware that the gender ratio in our Board is very unusual in the science field, in particular in neutron science. Starting at 50% in 2016, it evolved to the current 75%. It is also unusual in CNEA, where there are almost no women at the highest levels of management. This is a story about three women working together to make our mark in neutron scattering in Latin America in such a unique context...