Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- At the Girls in STEM & SPACE Day event, which was held at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, participants and organizers of the UniSat 2.0 nanosatellite STEM program Uzbekistan summed up the results of active six-month work. The program is implemented by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, NGO Tech4Impact and UNICEF.

120 girls aged 15-24 from Tashkent, Ferghana Valley, Jizzakh, Navoi, Samarkand regions completed a 4-month online course on programming, engineering and data analysis. 20 girls with the best academic results took part in a 5-day practical workshop on the assembly and launch of a nanosatellite in Tashkent at the INNO Technopark laboratories.

- The Ministry always supports girls in their efforts to develop in the field of science and technology. The UniSat program is a great example of project and team work with a scientific mission. We are glad that this year the participants began to work with scientists, conduct research together and believe that girls have great potential in science,” said Fazilat Kadirova, head of the Agency for Innovative Development under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

- In Uzbekistan, as in many other countries, there is still a significant gap between boys and girls in the field of computer literacy, technical education and careers. The UniSat program, which aims to bridge this gap, promotes the interest and training of girls in relevant skills, and also breaks existing stereotypes, said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Country Manager for Uzbekistan. “The successes of UniSat participants prove that girls can prove themselves in the STEM field and make a significant contribution to the development of science and modern technologies,” he stressed.

At the event, UniSat participants showed 2 nanosatellites launched on May 13 in the Navoi region of Uzbekistan and presented the data obtained.

Sensors placed on nanosatellites measured temperature, pressure, radiation and air quality at various altitudes. The experimental samples of the biomaterial launched into the stratosphere were transferred for study to the laboratory of the International Center for Molecular Allergology and Aerobiology of Uzbekistan. A detailed report will be published on the project website www.unisat.uz.

- The UniSat program provides the girls of Uzbekistan with the opportunity to study such disciplines as physics, astronomy, programming, data analytics, design of nanosatellites, and implement their scientific project on such an important topic for our region as climate change, - said Saida Yusupova, director of NGO Tech4Impact.

The meeting ended with the solemn presentation of certificates to all participants and finalists of UniSat 2.0.