inspiring young women to pursue their dreams
Image from http://physicsonpointe.com/
6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th February 2021)
https://www.womeninscienceday.org/
This week many of the social channels have posted awareness of the 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science “Beyond the Borders: Equality in Science for Society”.
It has been great to see so many companies share their stories in an effort to inspire and engage women and girls in science.
Why is this important?
- Less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women
- And only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education.
(Information taken from https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day)
But it is worth keeping in mind that science and the arts are not mutually exclusive.
An amazing and awe inspiring case in point is the life story of Merritt Moore: quantum physicist / ballerina.
From Merritts’ website: http://physicsonpointe.com/about
“Dr. Merritt Moore graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors in Physics from Harvard and graduated with a PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics from the University of Oxford.
She also pursues a professional ballet career, previously with the Zurich Ballet, Boston Ballet, English National Ballet, and Norwegian National Ballet.
She was recently awarded Forbes 30 under 30, and she was one of the 12 selected candidates to undergo rigorous astronaut selection on BBC Two “Astronauts: Do you have what it takes?”
And the following quote is from the excellent Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Volume 2, which quotes Merritt saying:
“I think it’s so important for scientists to explore art. You have to think about concepts with imagination and creativity”.
END.