The struggles and triumphs of women in STEMM

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The struggles and triumphs of women in STEMM

An International Women’s Day event by GenEQ urges institutions to promote greater participation of women in the sciences

ELENI KOPSAFTIS

Stop what you’re doing for a moment and think: in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM), how many famous women can you name off the top of your head?

Can you name 15? How about 10? Maybe five? This was the question posed to volunteers during a study in the U.K., and this was the opener to the GenEQ International Women’s Day event.

GenEQ is an initiative that strives to advance the status of all women at the University of Guelph. Its Women’s Day event was held on March 8 and welcomed nearly 100 attendees.

The above question was posed by event speaker Dr. Linda Lara-Jacobo, a toxicologist expert in toxicogenomics, environmental epidemiology, and sustainability. She revealed that more than half of the population cannot identify any famous women for their contributions to the world in science. Out of the other 47 per cent, most could only name one: Marie Curie, a Polish physicist and chemist who pioneered research on radiation during the early 20th century.

Despite these staggering statistics, Lara-Jacobo explained that some of the most notable STEMM achievements have actually been accomplished by women.

“For example, Katherine Johnson; she played a huge role in calculating the case factories in the space race as well as for the 1969 Apollo 11 flight to the moon,” said Lara-Jacobo.

“Rachel Carson; she wrote the book Silent Spring which has been credited as the catalyst for the modern environmental movement … Ada Lovelace is considered to be the founder of scientific computers and the first computer programmer. Barbara McClintock is considered one of the most prestigious cytogeneticists.”

Without the contributions of these incredible women, the world of science would not be as advanced as it is today. However, Lara-Jacobo says that less than 30 per cent of the world’s current researchers are female, and only one third of Canadians with a STEMM degree are women. To make matters worse, women are also paid significantly less for their research and don’t make it as far in their careers as a result.

“Studies have shown that women are discouraged from or become less interested [than men] in turning to the fields of [STEMM] when they're really young,” said Lara-Jacobo.

It was for this reason that she and GenEQ held the event with hopes of igniting an interest in scientific initiatives amongst women.

The event was hosted by Dr. Alicia Viloria-Petit, a professor for the University of Guelph’s biomedical sciences program.

Viloria-Petit says she has always loved science, and decided to pursue a medical education after her grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer. She now studies the process of metastasization, or how cells from cancerous tumours can spread throughout the body and infect vital organs.

“[Women] have been struggling for a long time to achieve our place in society,” said Viloria-Petit to The Ontarion.

“We organized this event as a way to support them and show the community an example of a person that represents this type of struggle and achievement and how we can, as women, work together.”

While having talented women host and speak at the event helps to bring awareness to the achievements of women in STEMM, it is still up to institutions to take the initiative and implement changes to reduce gender gaps.

Namely, institutions can promote the participation of women at all levels, including education, environment, research, and administration. This would entail having more women amongst students, faculty, and committees in science-based programs and initiatives.

Viloria-Petit says she thinks the University of Guelph is going in the right direction in regards to these points. Namely, having Dr. Charlotte Yates as president and vice-chancellor of the university, which promotes the participation of women in the highest levels of leadership at the school.

Additionally, the 2020-2021 U of G fact book claims that the College of Biological Science and the College of Social and Applied Human Science generally had more female students than male.

For women interested in pursuing STEMM, Viloria-Petit recommends that they seek out ways to participate in their respective field and find a mentor. The participation will curate the interest and specializations, and the mentor will accelerate the path to success through guidance.

“A lot of great ideas come from having a diverse source so we can have better ideas to respond to particular challenges,” she said. “So if we have a more equal contribution of women at all levels of the university, we’ll be able to generate those ideas that we need to hone a more powerful and a more sustainable institution.”

Women have been struggling for a long time to achieve our place in society.

To women interested in STEMM, Dr. Alicia Viloria-Petit recommends getting involved in the field and finding a reliable mentor. CREDIT: ALICIA VILORIA-PETIT