February 11th is International Day of Women and Girls in Science to promote full and equal participation of women and girls in science. Globally, only 33 per cent of researchers are women. They tend to have shorter, less well paid careers, are awarded less research funding, and are less likely to be promoted than men. In the private sector too, women are less present in company leadership and in technical roles in tech industries. As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19 and the critically important climate crisis, the full and equal participation and leadership of women and girls in the science and technology communities is more important than ever. Now is the time to recognize women’s contributions in research and innovation, smash stereotypes and defeat discrimination against women and girls in science.
Join us in taking a moment to read about some of our wonderful Tasmanian women and girls in science.
Message from the Tasmanian National Science Week Patron
The 11th February has a very special and personal significance for me. My elder daughter was born on the inaugural International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2016. I have loved watching her – and her younger sister – grow into budding little scientists, experimenting, exploring and learning about the world around them.
It’s an absolute pleasure to share these inspiring stories of Tasmanian women achieving wonderful things in their fields of science. Thank you to Inspiring Tasmania for collating these profiles. I hope you enjoy reading about these women as much as I have, and that you can celebrate, acknowledge and elevate the women and girls in science around you on 11th February and every day of the year.
Best wishes,
Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas
Mars Buttfield-Addison, Australian Superstar of STEM
Mars uses technology for good. She is a Computer Scientist, specialising in machine learning and supercomputing. In this role, she has worked to solve problems spanning public health to aerospace, all with computers. And she’s passionate about empowering others to do the same.
Find out more.
Eve Poland, 2023 General Sir John Monash Scholar
Eve graduated from the University of Tasmania with a Bachelor of Science in 2021, majoring in Chemistry and Statistics. Eve has a deep concern for the environment and aspires to use her career in chemistry to contribute to solving sustainability issues such as plastic pollution and heightened levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Find out more.
Alexandra Paton, Young Tassie Scientist
Alexandra is a PhD student at the University of Tasmania who is passionate about improving new technology for the purposes of tracking and controlling feral cats, working with several organisations to monitor cat eradications on islands to create safe havens for threatened native wildlife. Through her research she aims to implement systematic procedures for wildlife monitoring and data automation to reduce the difficulties associated with handling “big data”.
Find out more.
Marlee Wells, 2023 Inspiring Women in STEMM Fellow
Marlee has a passion for helping others and hopes that by better understanding the neurophysiology of the brain she will help to prevent falls and identify dementia earlier in older adults. Marlee completed her undergraduate degree and honours in Psychological Science, majoring in Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Tasmania. She is currently undertaking a PhD at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre.
Find out more.
Interested in finding out about more amazing Tasmanian Women in Science? View this story published by the University of Tasmania.