The Parasol Foundation and SpaceIL announced in January 2022 during the Space week that they are launching a joint initiative the “Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL program” that aimed to empower women in the Space field and inspire the female young generation to choose careers in Space.
The program will grant scholarships for a total amount of 500,000$.
The Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL Initiative works to advance women’s participation in space programs and have selected the members.
Michal Pushkov and Sahar Peretz, 2 junior engineers have been recruited by SpaceIL to take part in the development of the Beresheet2 spacecraft that will be launched in 2025,
Julia Saleh and Or Nataf, 2 female graduates of relevant fields of engineering at the Technion will get scholarships to further their research in Space and
Dr. Neta Palkovitz, a commercial lawyer specializing in Space law and policy will be granted a scholarship for her post-doctoral research focusing on the sustainability of space activities.
Ruth Parasol came especially to the SpaceIL offices in Yehud to meet with the candidates and hear about their stories and the challenges they encountered.
The Science field and Space in particular suffer from the underrepresentation of women. Through the program, the Parasol Foundation together with SpaceIL association create opportunities for young female engineers to inspire more women to study STEM and have successful professional career in Science or Space.
Ruth Parasol, of the Parasol Foundation, said: “I’m thrilled to be working with SpaceIL to open up new opportunities for talented women to contribute to global space advancements and get involved in Israel’s space endeavors. We’re offering fellowships to empower and inspire women to achieve their potential and, with our Parasol Foundation Women in SpaceIL Initiative, we’re aiming to create a lasting legacy.”
Shimon Sarid, CEO of SpaceIL, said: “The collaboration for the inclusion of women in the Israeli space industry is crucial. We adopted this inclusive approach in the Beresheet1 mission which contributed greatly to its execution and success. I congrats the selected candidates that joined this important initiative and wish them great success.”
The Parasol Foundation Trust is funded and supported by its Principal Benefactress, Ruth Parasol, who gives much of her money and time to its vision and grant making decisions. Established in Gibraltar in 2004, the trust has given over £30,000,000 for health, heritage, and education grants in Gibraltar, the UK, Israel, India, the US, Spain, and elsewhere.