Women in Science at the Press Club

EQuS PhD students Caxtere Casacio, Sarah Lau, Samantha Hood and Claire Edmunds attended the National Press Club's Women of Science panel on March 30, 2016. 

The panel featured Professor Emma Johnston of the University of New South Wales and Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Professor Nalini Joshi of the University of Sydney and Professor Tanya Monro who is Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation at the University of South Australia. 

"I found the speakers incredibly empowering and immediately knew that they were role models I could look up to... A lot of the things they said resonated with me."

"I found it extremely motivating to listen to these three talented, inspiring women who have all worked extraordinarily hard and, in some cases, through difficult circumstances. I appreciated seeing women who had worked their way up to higher positions, as I have found there is a huge lack of female representation at these top tiers."

As well as discussing the panellists' professional journeys. The event highlighted areas which we can all help to improve, including accounting for unconscious gender bias and creating a positive work environment. 

"One of the messages that stuck with me was that we need to work hard to fix this problem and compensate for the unconscious gender bias that occurs in society."

"Attending this panel allowed me to see that I am good at what I do, and that my previous experiences of feeling vulnerable in meetings [in competitive environments] were not a reflection on my ineptitude... I have already spoken to some [people] about it, and awareness is great - but until we have more diversity, we will continue to lose women (and men) who do not thrive in competitive environments."

"One event alone might not lead to great changes... but the more we talk about it, the further we get from bias. It is with great excitement that I notice these experiences already impacting my work environment."

You can watch the panel online on ABC iView.