Esraa Diab stood confidently in her niqab, or full face veil, on the stage at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and explained to the audience what causes pain in a scientific yet simple language, drawing applause at the end of the speech.

Diab was a competitor at FameLab Egypt 2018, a major science competition sponsored by the British Council and Egypt’s Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. The aim of the competition is to get young scientists and researchers to talk about complicated scientific concepts in a simplified, accessible manner, thus bridging the gap between scientists and the public. While the top contenders have been women over the last three years, this year, on April 14, Hassam Abdel ElHay received the top prize of 5,000 British pounds ($7,150) and a trip to the United Kingdom to participate in the international contest and a workshop. Yasmine Maher won the student prize.

Diab drew attention to the growing role of women in an interview with Al-Monitor. “It is not about your gender, the way you look or what you wear; it is about whether you have the potential and the capabilities or not,” said Diab, a fourth-year student of medicine at Suez Canal University.

FameLab Egypt is part of an international science communication competition initiated in 2004 by the Cheltenham Science Festival and the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts in the United Kingdom. Rolled out nine years ago, FameLab supports the Egyptian government’s efforts to advance science and build a culture that understands and supports the positive role science plays in the economic and social well-being of a society.