#We need speed professional
I hope things continue to improve quickly so that it’s normal for girls to see themselves represented in decision-making and professional roles.”Īre there any moments where you think being a woman has helped you have an impact? We don’t just want women in the STEM workforce, but also helping to shape the future of STEM. However,t even though things are very promising at undergraduate and postgraduate level, in permanent decision-making positions the number of women is still ridiculously low. “This is great in helping close the gender gap. In my Chemical Engineering Department, we now have more women than men. For example, in my institution, we get comparable numbers of women and men enrolling in STEM studies. “I think things are improving globally, but in some countries more than in others. How do you feel about the number of women in science compared to men in the same field? Offer yourself to more challenging tasks if you think you can cope with them and ally with other women in your department or institution.” I have been asked why I did not publish while on maternity leave and I was offered less-demanding tasks because of a perception that having kids can ‘distract you’. “To know that you will face discrimination and prepare yourself to address it.
What do you think is important when establishing yourself as a woman in science? All these really helped me to create a strong network and address Cyprus’ main challenges related to improving water quality in a holistic way – which sits at the core of the EU’s water policy issues.” Through my studies I was able to educate at secondary school level, become a water regulator, address policy issues, and perform research directed at solving policy-implementation issues. Experiencing different working environments is very invigorative and a great opportunity that a STEM career offers. “I enjoyed having a career path that was not so straight-forward. What has been your experience of having such a diverse career history? You’re an academic now, but you have also worked as a secondary school teacher, a health inspector and a researcher in the government. Looking back on it now, I totally agree with him.” My father pushed me to study a mixture of science courses during secondary school because he thought that science is the basis for supporting complex problem-solving scenarios. We would spend the entire journey discussing STEM-related topics. I also remember when my father, a marine biologist, would drive me to school. A shower with warm, running water was a luxury granted only when I moved to Cyprus. I would engineer ways to use the least amount of water as possible in an efficient way. Growing up in a poor country with very limited means meant we didn’t have access to running water. “From my early years in the Dominican Republic, science and technology were always around me. Talk to us about your background growing up and how you ended up in the Biology and Environmental Engineering field? We discuss her experience as a young immigrant from the Dominican Republic, the challenges of a woman in an interdisciplinary career, and the importance of representation.
She is also the leader of the Oikotoxicologia Research Group and vice-chair of Ocean4Biotech. Marlen Vasquez, an environmental toxicologist at the Cyprus University of Technology. Author: Freya Wilson, Publishing Partnerships Specialist
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