Science 50:50 to encourage more female scientists

Prominent scientist and inventor Professor Veena Sahajwalla has launched the Science 50:50 initiative - a program to inspire young women to pursue degrees and careers in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The premise of the program is simple: since half of the population is female, why not half the scientists and technologists?

The number of female high-school students taking advanced maths is half that of boys, while only 1.5% of Year 12 girls study the STEM trio of advanced maths, physics and chemistry. Professor Sahajwalla, who was the only girl in her engineering course at university, said this underrepresentation has a lot to do with young women’s perception of science as a career.

“If we want to secure Australia’s future prosperity, challenging the stereotype of the scientist as a man in a white lab coat is a good place to start,” she said.

Professor Sahajwalla, the director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at UNSW, was last year awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship to enable her to promote women in research. With the support of this fellowship, as well as that of UNSW and scientific and industry partners, Science 50:50 will:

• create internship opportunities for girls to get an experience of scientific careers,
• launch a New Innovators Competition offering university scholarships to the girls who submit the most original and innovative ideas for solving real-world problems,
• provide an engaging video series on extraordinary women in research, industry and other areas,
• engage girls with science and technology through school visits,
• build a network of interested people to help link girls with mentors.

For more information, and to get involved in the program, visit http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/50-50.