By: News Archive
To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Monday (11 February), female scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) are celebrating their successes and offering advice to young women who are unsure about a career in science.
The awareness day is organised by the United Nations General Assembly to increase female participation in the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths.
According to UN Women, less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women and only 30% of all female students select fields in higher education.
Dr Jessica Johnson, who is a Solid Earth Geophysics Lecturer has had the opportunity to travel the world conducting research on volcanoes. Her research has already taken her to New Zealand, Montserrat and Alaska and she was the primary research investigator on a project in 2018 during the Kilauea eruption in Hawaii.
“Science is cool and I think that I have the coolest job out of most of my friends.” said Dr Johnson. “None of my friends get to go on helicopters, climb up volcanoes or poke at lava with sticks like I do. I think everyone goes through difficult times trying to achieve their goals but if you’re a little bit tenacious then you shouldn’t give up, no matter what your gender.”
Clinical psychologist and UEA lecturer Dr Naoko Kishita, whose work focusses on dementia and mental health in later life says that when she was studying for her degree outside the UK there were no female lecturers at all.
She said: “Good role models are important, people who are already leaders in their field can travel to different countries and talk about their research with young people to inspire them. That is how you bring about change and show people that gender should not be an issue when pursuing a career.”
Dr Zoë Waller, a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Biology was inspired by TV character Dr Dana Scully from the X-Files when she was growing up. Dr Waller now works with DNA and was also influenced when her lab partner at university passed away from Cancer.
She said: “This completely changed my perspective on what I wanted to do. My friend had always wanted to pursue a PhD in anticancer therapies and I had never considered doing a PhD until I lost my friend.
“I now give talks in schools not only about my research, but also about how I’ve got to where I am today. There have been quite a few bumps in the road and I am keen to show people that things don’t always go to plan, but you can still do it.
“I also want people to know that you can be a mum and work in science. I recently heard Professor Ada Yonath, who was 2009 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, give a talk and she was positively encouraging female scientists to have children. She is doing a great job being a good role model in this way and as a mum I hope I am able to do the same.”
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