The beautiful Galapagos Art Space was the venue for a satisfying cabaret-style evening focusing on, and led by, female scientists. The intimate, candlelit setting allowed the audience to sit in cosy groups around small bar tables on “islands” separated by small ponds of water. Each pond reflected the more mechanical structures of the building, creating a slightly surprising contrast of both a natural and urban environment indoors.

The female scientists, Jean Berko Gleason, Joy Hirsh, Priyamvada Natarajan, Tal Rabin and Corina Tarnita were no less lovely, nor surprising. Reassuringly comfortable taking their individual turns in the spotlight on the main stage, each slipped effortlessly from explaining the intricacies of their subjects, including linguistics, neuroscience and cosmology, to blending in heart-warming and humorous details. We saw Berko Gleason explain the differences between child talk and adult language using imaginary animals and two members of the audience, while Rabin had created a cute photo diary presentation featuring her two daughters to explain how cryptography works. By allowing the women to express themselves freely, the event showcased many of the reasons (including wit, determination, creativity and infectious curiosity) why these women have become successful scientists, without tackling the gender issue head-on.

You can read the Twitter conversations around the event in our Storify storyboard.

If you want to read more highlights from the World Science Festival, you can find a summary of all our coverage here.