DOVE Researcher Wins L’Oréal-UNESCO-ABC Award for Women in Science
Luciana Tovo, DOVE Research Centre Fellow, is one of the winners of the “For Women in Science 2020” programme, which is promoted by L’Oréal Brazil in partnership with UNESCO in Brazil and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC).
The DOVE scientist, who won the award in the Life Sciences category, was recognized for her research on COVID-19 pandemic effect on the chronic stress of adolescents. “As children and adolescents mostly present milder symptoms from the coronavirus and do not represent an economically active group, few studies have devoted themselves to understanding the effects of the pandemic on this population,” says Tovo.
To compare stress levels before and after the pandemic, the study will measure cortisol hormone levels from hair samples collected from over 3,400 15-year-old adolescents, followed-up in a cohort study since their birth in 2004 in Pelotas (RS), Brazil. Hair can reveal a person’s chronic stress level from the hormone cortisol – the “stress hormone” – that accumulates in hair over a period of several months. Between November 2019 and early March, the researchers collected hair locks of approximately 1.9 thousand young people – as of March, the tests were suspended due to sanitary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. After the critical period of the pandemic, a new collection will be made with the other 1,500 participants in the study. By comparing samples from the pre and post pandemic groups, scientists will be able to assess the impact of the pandemic on the chronic stress of these adolescents, based on the levels of cortisol accumulated in the last three months.
“In this unprecedented moment we are going through, the reporting of perceived stress symptoms has been common. However, no study has assessed this from a physiological point of view yet. But how do we quantify this stress? Based on a biological marker, the study will objectively measure the impact of this period on stress in the body via the hormonal system” she explains.
The award, which celebrates its 15th anniversary in this edition, aims to support female empowerment, contributing to balance gender relations in the national science context. From this perspective, it has already awarded R$ 4.5 million in grants to more than one hundred researchers. In addition to the financial investment, this year’s edition includes a two-day UNESCO training course for each of the seven scientists and a webinar program on gender, career, media training and other issues related to women in science.
Other winning works in this edition include the development of a method to preserve soybean plantations in unexpected periods of drought and a research on the origin of cosmic rays and their possible relationship with galaxies with intense star formation.
To know the seven scientists and the awarded works, visit (Portuguese only): https://www.paramulheresnaciencia.com.br/noticias/loreal-brasil-unesco-e-abc-divulgam-as-7-vencedoras-do-programa-para- women-in-science-2020 /.
