Adventure of Science: Women and glaciers in Central Asia

РУССКИЙ

Join us this friday 30.10.26 for our Symposium 2026!

Event details:

Time : 17h (Bishkek time UTC+6) / 12:00 (Swiss time UTC+1)
Format: Online via Zoom
Languages: EN/RU, with simultaneous translation available.
Registration: To help us plan the event, please register here.
Join the Event: You are welcome to join at any time with this Zoom link, even if you haven’t registered (Meeting ID: 624 3871 7544 ; Passcode: 18698360)

What is Adventure of Science?

Our program offers tuition-free scientific expeditions for young women in Central Asia, combining environmental science, glaciology, and outdoor skills to promote gender balance in science and scientific fieldwork. Each summer, during a 10-day expedition in Kyrgyzstan’s Ala-Archa National Park, we bring together a diverse group of young women to explore the mountain environment, learn mountaineering and camping skills, and develop their own scientific projects in small groups. Through public events and an international online symposium, we create opportunities for participants to share their discoveries with scientists, professionals, and wider audiences.

With our experienced, women-only instructor team and a professional female mountain guide, we aim to provide a safe and supportive space where participants can ask questions, express their ideas, and build confidence. We encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity while sharing our passion for science and mountains.

Who are we?

Originally formed by two Swiss researchers, our team expanded and now encompasses members from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Switzerland and Germany. We are certified by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Dates of the Program?

The expedition has already taken place in 2026

Who can apply?

The program is open for all women of Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan between the ages of 18 to 25 years who are willing to learn. The expedition is held in a bilingual format Russian-English; therefore, participants need sufficient English or Russian skills.

Where can I apply?

Our applications are closed for 2026

For more information about our program, please first have a look at our FAQ.

If you have questions, to which our FAQ does not answer, then, please contact us here centralasia@inspiringgirls.org or through Instagram.

Check out our FAQ

History

The idea for “Adventure of Science: Women and glaciers in Central Asia” began during glaciological fieldwork and capacity building activities within the projects “Capacity building and Twinning for Climate Observing Systems” and “Cryospheric Climate Services for improved Adaptation”. Martina Barandun and Marlene Kronenberg were inspired by the energy of young women they met in Central Asia. Almost from the beginning, they have been involved as volunteers and instructors in Girls on Ice Switzerland (The first Inspiring Girls Expeditions in Switzerland) and dreamt of bringing it to Central Asia. The first Adventure of Science: Women and Glaciers in Central Asia expedition took place in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 expeditions were replaced with online “Adventure of Science at Home” programs. Since 2020, international online symposiums were organized in the frame of the World Science Day for Peace and Development together with UNESCO Almaty, in which several international female scientists and professionals in related fields discussed climate and environmental topics as well as gender equality. Since 2022, “Adventure of Science” has been back to the field with 2022, 2023 and 2024 expeditions led under the Cryospheric Observation and Modelling for improved Adaptation in Central Asia (CROMO-ADAPT) project, from the University of Fribourg.Financing and partners

“Adventure of science: Women and glaciers in Central Asia” is embedded in the project Cryospheric Observation and Modelling for improved Adaptation in Central Asia (CROMO-ADAPT) executed by the University of Fribourg, Switzerland and financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). “Adventure of science: Women and glaciers in Central Asia” is organized in collaboration with UNESCO office in Almaty, Girls on Ice Switzerland, and the Central Asian Institute of Applied Geosciences (CAIAG).