Every year on 11 February, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science shines a spotlight on the women who are transforming our world through research and innovation. For SteamDry, it is a chance to celebrate the scientists and engineers who are not only advancing superheated steam drying, but also opening doors for the next generation of girls who love science.
The day was created by the United Nations to promote full and equal access to science for women and girls and to tackle the gender gap that still exists in many STEM fields. Around the world, women remain underrepresented in engineering and physical sciences, even though interest and ability are not the problem; stereotypes, lack of role models and unequal opportunities are. By sharing real stories and faces, initiatives like SteamDry help turn abstract statistics into inspiring examples that girls can relate to and imagine themselves in.
How SteamDry connects to the cause
SteamDry is developing and piloting superheated steam drying technology for web‑like materials such as paper, board, tissue and nonwovens, with the potential to cut drying energy use by up to 60% and overall line energy by about 40%. This leap in efficiency supports key UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Climate Action and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and aligns with EU strategies like REPowerEU and the 2030 Climate Target Plan. When women lead crucial parts of this work—from environmental assessment to control systems and pilot trials—it sends a powerful message that they are central to climate and industrial innovation, not an exception.
The women behind SteamDry’s impact
Maite Moreira (USC)
As a professor of Chemical Engineering at Universidade de Santiago de Compostela and member of the Environmental Biotechnology group, Maite brings deep expertise in life cycle assessment, eco‑efficiency and clean technologies. Within SteamDry, she helps quantify how much energy, resources and emissions can be saved over the entire life cycle of the new drying concepts, turning the technology’s promise into robust environmental evidence that industry and policymakers can trust. For girls who care about sustainability, her work shows that you can combine a passion for the planet with a career in advanced engineering and environmental science.
Sabrina Dusek (AIT)
At the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Sabrina focuses on energy efficiency and systems analysis, and in SteamDry she plays a key role in estimating the energy‑saving potential of the new superheated steam drying solutions. By translating complex models and pilot data into clear numbers on energy and CO2 reductions, she makes it easy to see how a change in drying technology can help decarbonise entire production lines. Her work shows young women that if they enjoy maths, physics and data, they can directly influence how fast industry moves towards net‑zero.​
Floor Boon (Wageningen Food & Biobased Research)
Floor tackles one of the toughest technical challenges in SteamDry: keeping the system tight and clean by improving sealing and steam purification in a demanding industrial environment. She works on solutions for non‑contact sealing and for removing dust and particles from superheated steam, ensuring that the system is safe, reliable and efficient at scale. For girls who like solving practical problems, Floor’s work is a vivid example that engineering is not just theory—it is creative, hands‑on and essential to making new ideas work in real factories.​​​
From individual stories to collective change
SteamDry brings together research institutes, universities, technology suppliers and manufacturers from across Europe, and women are present in scientific, technical and coordination roles throughout the consortium. By consistently highlighting colleagues like Maite, Sabrina and Floor on project channels, events and social media the project contributes to a wider movement where women in STEM are visible, valued and heard. On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, their stories show that the path to a climate‑neutral, resource‑efficient industry is being shaped by diverse teams, and that there is plenty of room for the next generation of girls to join them.