On this March 8, the ICM-CSIC would like to pay tribute to the women who have dedicated their lives to unraveling the secrets of the ocean. Women who, as researcher Belén Alonso puts it, have run a true “long-distance race” on a path that has not always been easy.
We do so by remembering a recently departed pioneer, Josefina Castellví (1935-2025), from Barcelona. Pepita, as she liked to be called , was a pivotal figure in Spanish science. In an era when she was told, ” My dear , that’s not for women,” she played dumb and pressed on until, in 1987, she became the first woman in the world to lead an Antarctic research station. Her legacy is not merely scientific; she opened the doors of Antarctica to generations of researchers. Her persevering spirit lives on in every female scientist who steps into a lab or boards a ship today.
A prime example of this is Belén Alonso herself. Her story begins at age seven, on a beach in Santander. That first glimpse of the vast blue expanse led to a career dedicated to interpreting the invisible: the geology of the seafloor. At a time when she was often the only woman on board, she balanced her doctoral thesis with motherhood, a monumental challenge that nearly made her give up. She didn’t. Thanks to her tenacity, today we have a better understanding of the geological risks of the seafloor and the Earth’s climatic past.
Belén, who recently retired, leaves us with a vital lesson for the girls who look out at the sea with curiosity today: “Don’t set limits for yourselves; have confidence in yourselves. Curiosity should be the driving force behind your entire life.” At the ICM-CSIC, there are other examples of extraordinary women scientists of all ages, some of whom have already retired but continue to conduct high-quality research. We’ll tell you more about them on other occasions.
At the ICM-CSIC, we champion women’s talent, from pioneers like Pepita Castellví to today’s research leaders. Because the world needs science, and science needs women.
