2 minute read
Senior scientists explore diversity in astronomy
from Contact 15
BY MATTHEW TAYLOR (SKAO)
A special programme of the SKAO’s regular Speaker Series talks to celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science featured the chair and deputy chair of the Observatory’s Science and Engineering Advisory Committee (SEAC).
SEAC Chair Prof. Naomi McClure-Griffiths and Deputy Chair Prof. Kristine Spekkens presented a joint talk titled: Towards Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Astronomy: Australian and Canadian Perspectives.
The talk provided perspectives on women and other under-represented groups in astronomy through the lens of the Australian and Canadian astronomical communities, assessing the national EDI context, initiatives that are underway, and aspirations for the future.
After an overview of their careers, Prof. McClure-Griffiths and Prof. Spekkens explored thought-provoking statistics on the attrition of women involved in postgraduate astronomy research, as well as assessing affirmative action and retention targets necessary to address the disparity between numbers of men and women in the field, and create lasting change.
Elsewhere, figures on the gender split of telescope research allocation time, and anonymous peer review were discussed.
The SKAO Speaker Series is a regular programme of talks accessible to all within the broader SKA community, covering a wide range of topics, from astronomy to physics, engineering, big data and computing, EDI, and more.
The four talks marking International Day of Women and Girls in Science were:
Prof. Kristine Spekkens and Prof. Naomi McClure-Griffiths: Towards EDI in Astronomy: Australian and Canadian Perspectives
Dr Gihan Kamel: SESAME and physics collaboration in the Middle East
Dr Leah Morabito: Radio astronomy as a pathway for building global collaborations
Dr Cherry Ng: My personal journey as a female astronomer of colour
All past talks and details of forthcoming talks can be found here.
