Dr Maria Grazia Labate with a replica SKA-Low antenna at ICRAR. Credit: ICRAR
Sharing experiences with the next generation of STEM BY SEBASTIAN NEUWEILER (SKAO)
After being awarded a Visiting Fellowship for Senior Women+ in Astronomy with the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), SKA-Low Telescope Engineer Dr Maria Grazia Labate has emphasised gender equality to the next generation of STEM in Australia. The fellowship aims to provide an opportunity for senior women and gender minorities working as astronomers, engineers and data scientists within astronomy to visit ICRAR in Perth and interact with early-career researchers and graduate students.
“STEM is a wonderful and challenging environment, where collaboration and diversity are essential to develop new ideas which will lead us to amazing discoveries.”
DR MARIA GRAZIA LABATE, SKA-LOW TELESCOPE ENGINEER Dr Labate has a wealth of knowledge to share. After receiving a master’s degree in telecommunication engineering, she worked as a system “In my experience and speaking with my female integration and technology analyst for telecommunication colleagues, I saw how many challenges are companies. She received a PhD in electronic engineering common and how, sooner or later, you are forced to face and worked for aerospace and defence companies as an unpleasant behaviours and must decide how to deal antenna and phased-array designer, both for satellites and with them. At the SKAO there is a strong commitment to radars, before joining the SKAO in 2013. diversity and inclusion which is very important, because It is this extensive experience that Dr Labate drew upon reinforcing these values from the top then feeds down into when she delivered a science seminar and diversity everyday interactions. workshop as part of her fellowship. She spent time with “STEM is a wonderful and challenging environment, where students and researchers at the University of Western collaboration and diversity are essential to develop new Australia and Curtin University – joint venture partners ideas which will lead us to amazing discoveries. I see it as of ICRAR – discussing science and engineering, workpart of our job to defend these values, so I’m honoured life balance, and gender equality in science, technology, to be part of the ICRAR fellowship, working together with engineering, and mathematics (STEM). researchers, graduate students and staff towards a better “Studying and working in a male-dominated environment and more equitable world, starting from our study and work can pose many challenges, which can vary depending on environment.” the people you meet, the university or organisation you work for, the culture you are in and from, your personality and your background,” she said.
NOVEMBER
2023
C O N TA C T
35
