Celebrating women in STEM “Although science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are widely regarded as critical to national economies, so far most countries, no matter their level of development, have not achieved gender equality in STEM.” – United Nations The International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th February) celebrates the many achievements women have made in STEM and calls for women and girls around the world to have equal access to STEM education and equal opportunities to succeed in STEM careers. Here, we celebrate some of the inspiring women in STEM we have worked with over the last year: Dr Ann Weaver is a biostatistician who is statistically analysing data about wild bottlenose dolphins to understand their behaviour and culture. Professor Astrid Linder is a road safety expert who has developed the world’s first female crash test dummy to ensure that new vehicles are designed to protect female drivers and passengers as well as male ones. Professor Barbara Zeeb is an environmental scientist who is using plants to remove salts from contaminated soils. Dr Beth Stevens and Dr Cherish Taylor are neurobiologists who are investigating how problems with brain development during adolescence can cause schizophrenia. Dr Catherine Patocka and Dr Jessalyn Holodinsky, an emergency department doctor and data scientist respectively, are creating a system to optimise patient care in emergency departments. Professor Elena Suvorova is a cell biologist who is studying how the Toxoplasma gondii parasite reproduces at a cellular level. Dr Émilie Saulnier-Talbot and Dr Hilary Corlett, a…
