By Wanutcha (Soon) Lorpaiboon, Maureen Thompson, Inna Osmolovsky, Divya Shah, and Vina Putra

Women make up only 22% of enrolments in STEM courses in Australian universities and only 28% of our nation’s STEM workforce, with men outnumbering women 3:1 in management positions (STEM Equity Monitor 2021). Numerous studies have shown that there is no significant difference in overall aptitude between girls and boys for STEM subjects – this begs the question, why do most young children draw men when asked to draw a scientist?

Children form their understanding of the world based on what they see around them. In television series, male scientists significantly outnumber female scientists. This disparity in the representation of scientists leads many young children to falsely believe that girls are not suited to the study of science and mathematics. The only way to challenge these misconceptions is by increasing the visibility of women in STEM subjects so that young children can see that there is seat at the table for women, and so that young girls know that they are just as deserving of occupying space at this table as their male counterparts.

The UNSW Maths and Science Champions Program was created with the intention of challenging the stereotypes that often hold young girls back when considering STEM as a career option. The program aims to facilitate change by providing female research students with the skills necessary to become visible scientists and advocates so that they can reach out into the wider community and act as role models for young women and girls. This blog was launched so that women in the program could share their stories – it’s a space where women can write about their research, discuss what it’s like to be a woman in STEM, and offer each other support and guidance through advice on navigating the complexities of academia.

As the 2022 editors of the blog, we would like to introduce ourselves:

Wanutcha (Soon) Lorpaiboon

she/her

Hi all! I am a PhD student in the School of Chemistry. My research focus is on the application and development of computational models to study the reductive degradation of perfluoroalkyl substances, a class of persistent organic pollutants, and how the process is mediated by inorganic catalysts and enzymes. I like how flexible and interdisciplinary science is to be able to blend such different fields of chemistry, computers, and environmental science. As one of the editors, I hope to make science more accessible, document women’s role in communication, and give visibility to our work! Although I can often be found typing or scrolling through a screen of text, I make time to take long walks through rain and shine in Centennial Park and enjoy listening to book reviews, particularly by a YouTuber called emmie. She reads from a variety of genres and gives creatively themed reviews without giving away too much of the plot.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wanutcha-lorpaiboon-839541203

Maureen Thompson

Hello, I am a PhD researcher in the Centre for Ecosystem Science.  I am delighted to combine my passions for citizen science, amphibian conservation, and big data in my research at UNSW and The Australian Museum. I’m using available data to understand frog breeding patterns and community co-occurrence across Australia. I’m also working to incorporate an understanding of participant motives and behaviour to improve the spatial, temporal, and taxonomic data collected through citizen science. I love the 99% invisible aspect of science – how in a moment of curiosity, I can learn about something that was around me, unexamined, the whole time. As one of the blog editors, I hope to come up for air from my personal purgatory of Stack Overflow tabs and practice presenting, and relating to, science in a palatable way. In my free time I enjoy listening to the podcasts American Hysteria and Swindled while building papier-mâché projects for my rat.  If you don’t have a rat to spoil, I recommend marveling at the long-finned eels in Centennial Park – their life story is incredible.

Inna Osmolovsky

she/her

Hi, I am a PhD student in the Environment & Ecology Research Center. Currently, I am exploring how plants migrate in response to climate change. I hope my project will have applications for nature conservation and the mitigation of climate change. I love science because I enjoy learning how nature works, spending so much time observing something that you become a part of it, forgetting, for even just a moment, the real world. I believe that to solve the problems humanity currently faces we need a diverse scientific community, to encourage diverse ideas and possible solutions. This is one of the reasons I am grateful to take part in the Women in Maths and Science Champions Program – I get to encourage young women to pursue a career in science. While doing data entry, I enjoy listening to podcasts – ‘Ologies’ and ‘Spirits’ are two of my favourites. I also love nature and especially the desert, which I hope to explore soon.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/InnaOsmol

Divya Shah

she/her

Hello guys, gals and non-binary pals! I am a PhD student in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences (BABS). I use cultured mammalian cells and mouse models to screen mitochondrial uncouplers that could potentially be used as drugs to combat the growing epidemic of metabolic disease. I hope that my work will one day help to improve prognosis and quality of life for those suffering from diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes. I have always loved asking questions and what I love most about research is that I get the opportunity to find answers and figure out how things work on a molecular level. I firmly believe in the importance of inclusion and diversity in science – without representation we lack the necessary perspectives required to address and tackle issues that disproportionately impact marginalized groups in our society. I hope that in being a blog editor for the Women in Maths and Science Champions Program I will be able to help increase the visibility of a diverse community of scientists who are working tirelessly to solve important problems impacting our society and the planet we all share. When I’m not falling down a research rabbit hole, I like to spend my time learning more about art, activism and history, planning my next travel adventure, sewing clothes, playing with my cats, and listening to true crime podcasts.

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/divya-shah-574a60194

Vina Putra

she/her

Hello, greetings from the UNSW School of Materials Science and Engineering! Yes, this is where I am currently doing my PhD. My research aims to understand how stem cells, as living materials that build tissues, adapt to a range of biochemical and biophysical cues – emulating those in development and healing. I specifically study the nanosized skeletal filaments of the cells which are responsible for helping cells adapt and acquire the structure and function that indicates what type of tissues they become. Ultimately, I hope to use this knowledge to better engineer materials and/or devices for regenerative medicine. I love that every minute I spend at work, I get to learn and bridge different disciplines: biology, physics, mechanics, and chemistry. Lifelong learning is what I value most, and Science has given me the opportunity to continuously seek knowledge (since the day I got fascinated by a chick embryo heartbeat in high school!). As one of the editors for the Women in Maths and Science Champions Program blog, I look forward to promoting accessibility of knowledge and opportunities to learn and pursue Science for young students who are always curious about how nature works. I also love traveling, writing and sharing ideas/experience around science and academia through my own blog – please do check it out!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vina-dewi-lestari-putra/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Phienbelle369

Personal blog: https://www.miss-academia.com/

Stay tuned for fortnightly blog posts where we’ll be interviewing our fellow female scientists, discussing ways to extend your reach / advocate for science, and much more! If you would like to collaborate on a blog post or other project, please reach out to us through email or social media.

By Octavia Soegyono

Sukanya (Suki) Jaiswal is pursuing a PhD in Optometry at University of New South Wales (UNSW). She completed her Bachelor of Optometry/Bachelor of Science in 2013 and has worked as a clinical optometrist since in both Sydney and Canberra. She completed her Masters of Optometry in 2020 from UNSW. Her desire to improve patient care and understand the environmental threats to eye health motivated her to pursue her PhD. She is one of our amazing UNSW Women in Science and Maths Champions from the 2021 cohort.

Why did she pick optometry?

Suki believes that vision is the most important sense out of the five senses. As such, she wants to ensure that people maintain good vision for all their life and adopt healthy practices to ensure this. She is especially passionate about helping children overcome their vision problems. One of the factors that continues to motivate her in optometry is that here work makes a significant impact in the lives of her patients, hence she feels it is a rewarding career.

Patient success stories that make her proud

While Suki loves her research, remembering the patients she’s helped – the stories of patients where she has felt she has made a difference – is the icing on the cake for clinical care. She recounted a story from her first few weeks of clinical practice, as a newly graduated optometrist. Her patient, a non-verbal four-year old boy, came in with poor vision that she was able to improve with glasses she prescribed. At the follow-up appointment some weeks later, he was a chatterbox and the consult ran over time because he kept talking! His parents were in tears at this remarkable improvement. This was the moment she realised how important and rewarding her role was in making a difference in the lives of her patients.

Why does she think optometry is exciting?

The field of optometry is constantly evolving, there are new and emerging technologies both in the clinical and research spheres. There is so much to the eye, and these new technologies have enabled understandings and examination at a cellular level in the eye. It has become possible to view the retina and blood vessels using a non-invasive camera. The innovations in technology have huge potential to change the lives of people who have eye disorders. She believes that the technology involved in routine eye examinations currently enable earlier diagnoses of diseases and interventions thus preventing irreversible vision loss. For the future, she hopes that in her lifetime, there will be progress on the ‘bionic eye’ which would transform the lives of individuals with genetic eye diseases. It is clear that research in optometry has many important implications for advancing patient care.

Her current research

She is currently researching the relationship between bushfire smoke and eye problems with a focus on individuals who endured smoke exposure during the Australian bushfire season (Black Summer). She is interested in understanding how eye infections and eye irritations are caused by bushfire smoke, what optometrists are doing to manage such issues in their patients, and can these methods be improved. A key question she hopes to answer with her research is ‘What happens with repeated exposure to bushfire smoke?’ Fire fighters have chronic and long-term exposure to bushfire smoke so her research aims to understand the impact of smoke on their eye health and the mechanisms that underlie these problems (e.g. inflammation, immune cell activity).

What makes her research unique?

Global warming and climate change undoubtedly influence bushfire occurrence and severity in Australia and around the world. Understanding the impact of climate change on public health, including eye care, is imperative. She believes that we need to anticipate the impact of bushfires on eye health to prepare eye care professionals to manage eye problems caused by smoke exposure. Unfortunately, this area has not been explored well in research thus far, hence there is a lot of work still left to do.

A typical day in the life of an optometry PhD

Suki began by identifying that no two days are the same (she notes this to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of research). Most days, the first thing she does is look over her emails and plans out the most important tasks for the day based on deadlines. There may also be meetings, talking to supervisors, cooking, or generally just getting out and about. Importantly she makes sure to take breaks every 1-2 hours from digital screens, as she recognises this important habit is necessary for good vision and eye health!

Interests outside of the lab

At present, Suki has been enjoying completing her Painting-by-Numbers project. She describes it like therapy – it uses all of your concentration, you can relax, and can spend 15 minutes on it or 4 hours on it, depending on the mood. Unlike research which is neverending, she finds satisfaction in being able to complete sections of her painting. It has been a slow and methodical project but she loves it!

Words of wisdom for young women interested in STEM

Suki says ‘You have to be passionate, the underlying topic has to interest you, intrigue you – you have to want to know more about it’. She advises that if there are many things that you want to know – find something that can combine your interests together and formulate a research career based on those interests. Researching at a PhD-level is broad, you can really get into the basics of something. At the same time, it is hard work. Research in STEM is not for everyone and it is not everything either. If it is your field, you will know it; and you will not feel like you are working – you will feel like you are solving a problem.

That said, Suki says ‘If you are unsure about what you are passionate about, give yourself time, start somewhere, try to make decisions based on what you are passionate about and you might be wrong, so be open to change. You can find passion – you are not necessarily born with it’.

Follow Suki on twitter to keep up-to-date on all the amazing science and outreach she does!