For me, this subject is very important, but it should be for youths, especially young girls, as it can pave the way for them in the professional field, Hibnerz said in statements to Prensa Latina at the Aula Magna of the University of Havana (UH), after the Sofía Kovalevskaya Award was granted to Cuban scientists.

This subject can help them to pursue their careers better, because life with mathematics is excellent, said the professor emeritus of Women and Gender Studies, who received the UH 295th Anniversary Commemorative Seal, together with Neil Kloblitz.

Young Cuban women have the capacity and the possibility of expanding their participation in this field, it is not only good for them, but also for this science, which has a large area of useful knowledge in daily life.

The the 2021 and 2023 Sofia Kovalevskaya Award is granted on the occasion of the International Day of Mathematics, Hibnerz commented.

This recognition is sponsored by the Kovalevskaya Foundation and the Faculty of Mathematics and Computing of the University of Havana, and its purpose is to encourage women from developing countries to participate actively in the scientific and technological life of their nations.

Among the Cuban winners are scientists Nigreisy Montalvo, Lizet Sánchez, Yailé Caballero and Isabel Alonso, as well as Olga Lidia Pérez, Sira María Allende, Lisset Suáreza, Iliana Pérez, Victoria Hernández and Concepción Valdés.

The foundation was named after Russian mathematician, socialist and feminist Sofia Vasilievna Kovalevskaya (1850-1891), who was the first female professor of Mathematics in Europe.

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