Every 11 February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science!
PREMSTEM is proud to have many females working on the project, both in and outside of the lab! To celebrate this day, we asked four of our researchers about their science journeys.
Thank you to Bobbi Fleiss (RMIT University), Flora Faure (Physics for Medicine Paris), Chantal Kosmeijer (UMC Utrecht) and Giulia Cutugno (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) for sharing!
What inspired you to get into science?
Bobbi: I was motivated to become a scientist because I got to see the help that was provided to my father after he had a spinal cord accident by the nurses, the doctors, the occupational therapists, many of whom were women.
Flora: I was lucky to have teachers who encouraged me to aim high!
What do you like about science?
Flora: I’ve always enjoyed science as a way to understand the world around us.
Bobbi: I didn’t go into medicine, but I developed a passion for science and helping people and it’s brought me to where I am today. I love my job and can see the benefits it has for our community.
Chantal: For me the amazing thing about science is that when nobody in the world knows the answer the a question, you get to be the one to try and figure it out!
Are there barriers for women to get into science?
Giulia: As a woman in science, I am proud to work in an institute where men and women have the same importance. I hope that every woman and girl in science can feel this way too.
Bobbi: I really think that all people should engage in science and that there’s nothing stopping us from doing so except for invisible hurdles. So, let’s break all of them down together and get more people into science, including women!