WoMars Org

At a global scale, women are largely under-represented in Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) at both university and professional levels.

“Less than 30% of the world's STEM researchers are women”*

This under-representation may arise from several factors including personal preferences but also from social biases and stereotypes leading to a lack of opportunities for women to engage in STEM careers.

Connecting schools to universities

We believe in the power of mentoring and role models. Our goal is to develop a network of university students dedicated to engage with local schools. Fully supported by and under the supervision of WoMars Org, the student network will be responsible for the organization of space education outreach events. Students part of the WoMars network may also engage in WoMars scientific activities and apply to analogue missions.

Providing hands-on experience

Hearing stories about space workers is fun and inspiring but there is no such thing as living them! Future WoMars analogue missions will be open to younger candidates that will receive full mentorship from an experienced WoMars crew member. We believe that hands-on real-life experience is the best way to get a foot in the door of the space sector and WoMars could be the stepping stone to future careers in space.

The WoMars student network is a great opportunity for university students to engage with the community about what they're passionate about, space exploration. It is also a great way to provide school students with local and relatable role models through space-themed outreach activities. In the long run, WoMars Org plans to iterate this organizational model by exporting it outside of Switzerland, therefore creating a global network of students and nurturing international collaboration in a culturally diverse environment.

Space analogue missions are multidimensional environments combining scientific research, innovation and technology, and field experience. They are a fantastic to develop precious and life-lasting interpersonal skills including problem-solving, group cohesion, and conflict resolution. In addition, analogue missions are highly multidisciplinary environments in which future young candidates will discover a wide range of scientific and technical skills, from neurobiology to data science.