By Elena Mora and Carmen del Puerto (IAC)

"In astrophysics there is less discrimination for reasons of gender than in other fields", says Mercedes Prieto Muñoz, a pioneer of this speciality in the Canaries. Born in Huelva, and a Tenerife resident since 1975, this researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and Associate Professor in the Physics Faculty of the University of La Laguna (ULL), has dedicated her professional life to the study of the structure, formation, and evolution of the galaxies which, in her opinion, are "the most elegant structures in the universe".

In 2001, analyzing the light from many spiral galaxies, her group showed that their bulges are “like icebergs” of which we see only a small fraction, and in the last ten years that a large number of present day massive elliptical galaxies was formed relatively recently by the merging of previously existing spiral galaxies. On March 8th this year, coinciding with the International Women’s Day, the University Institute of Women’s studies at the University of La Laguna awarded her one of its annual prizes, which distinguishes outstanding researchers at this university in all fields and branches of knowledge. 

Q: How did you start in your profession and what does it mean to be a woman pioneer in Spanish astrophysics?

A: In fact, I am “one of the pioneers”. When I arrived at the University of Granada I worked in the Department of Physics, in the Astrophysics group. In that group, was Pilar López de Coca, who began to observe a few years before me, so that I was the second woman observational astronomer in Spain. In the Canaries I was the first. I was one of the first generation who obtained Scholarships in the National Plan for Training Research Personnel in Astrophysics of the Ministry of Education and Science, for 3 years, between 1975 and 1978. We were three women and about ten men. Of the women I was the only one to continue in astrophysics.

As far as being a pioneer is concerned, it really doesn’t mean much. I entered astrophysics slightly afraid, and with vertigo, because it was then a man’s world, although I have never felt any discrimination. But I have found a big difference in numbers: before we were about 1% or even less, and now there are many more female astrophysicists, although we have by no means reached parity. But I think that at least in my scientific field, we are not treated differently nor do we feel different.

Q: So you haven’t run up against obstacles, when trying to develop your scientific career, because you are a woman?

A: Not in terms of my relationship with the Institute, with my colleagues and with institutions. I have even held posts of responsibility; I was Research Coordinator of the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canaries, and Director of the Department of Astrophysics at the University of La Laguna; but of course many obstacles resulting from being a woman and having a family. One bears a heavy load of responsibility, both at work and outside work. And I’m not only speaking for myself, but for other female colleagues with family, husband, children….We women continue to suffer more limitations than the men when developing our professional work.

Q: To summarize, it isn’t easy to reconcile a career and family life…

R. That is so, we women find it very difficult to share them completely. We are discriminated against compared to men at a cultural level. In general, men take on far less of the domestic load. A woman instinctively takes on these tasks, which are not taken into account nor rewarded, either in law or in any other way. There are now emerging far more women able to occupy management and director positions, but very few in fact achieve them.

Q: What would you have liked to do but haven’t done?

A: Maybe I could have tried to obtain a wider international and social projection for the research I have carried out. But I have done most of what I wanted to do, and what I have not done others have managed to do. So I am very satisfied with my research, and with the extraordinary collaborators who have worked with me.

Q: What does the “IUEM 8th March prize” mean to you? Recognition for your career? Recognition for all women in science?

A: As far as research is concerned, I have to say that observational work is not a solo effort. There is always a group of researchers, and all of them are necessary. This prize is not only for me, but for all the collaborators with whom I have worked throughout my career in research. My priority has been to do research, but although I have done a great deal, I sometimes feel that I could have done much more. So this prize is as if someone had said to me “Well done, you have done well considering your circumstances”, which gives me tranquility. At least, what I have done has been recongnized.

Q: You had the opportunity to observe and study Halley’s comet during its last appearance in 1986. What was that experience like?

A: Unforgettable. I was a member of the”International Halley Watch” to obtain data during its appearance. We discovered, before it could be seen by the naked eye, that the diameter of Halley’s comet was eight times bigger than had been previously estimated. And we observed the two tails, the dust tail and the gas tail. The IAC organized an observing campaign, and, in addition, thousands of people went to the beach of Las Teresitas, in Tenerife, to see it. The visit of a great comet is a spectacle in the sky that nobody should mess. If only he appeared more frequently!

Q: With what discovery would you like to culminate your career?

A: I work in the formation and evolution of galaxies and, at the present time, this is a subject which has not been resolved. We are putting together the pieces of the puzzle, and I think that there are not many left to insert. I think that we are quite near to finding these last pieces. There are many hopes placed on scientific projects such as GOYA, in which I am involved, to study the population of galaxies at the epoch when the star formation rate in the universe was at its maximum, which will be carried out with EMIR. This is a multi-object spectrograph which will soon be installed on the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, on La Palma. I would like to see the picture of the jigsaw complete, and understand how the galaxies formed and evolved

Related press release: http://www.iac.es/divulgacion.php?op1=16&id=1043&lang=en

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