From struggle to celebration: Women in Science

In May, Distinguished Professor Margaret Brimble, from the School of Chemical Sciences, was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London – the first New Zealand-born woman to have received this honour.

In June, Professor Charmian O’Connor, also from the School of Chemical Sciences, was made Dame Companion of the Order of New Zealand for her services to education and chemistry.

And, in July, Professor Juliet Gerrard from the School of Biological Sciences was appointed Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor – the first woman in the role.

But we didn’t stop there. Not content with celebrating the achievements of our current women scientists, we began an ambitious project to encourage more women to study science by raising the profile of all our women scientists and their contributions to scientific learning.

In September, to commemorate 125 years of Women’s Suffrage in New Zealand, we obtained permission from University Council to temporarily rename our schools, departments and the faculty itself to honour alumnae of note, who have been pivotal to the history of science in New Zealand and beyond. During that same week we launched our landmark Women in Science Campaign [see below].

In November, in an act symbolic in its intent and permanence, we formally named the atrium of our flagship Science building after one of our most distinguished alumnae – Dr Kathleen Curtis. The names of buildings and places play a prominent, visible role in our University, and the Kathleen Curtis Atrium is an enduring reminder of the pioneering contributions women have made to the history of science, and to our University.

During her keynote address at the Kathleen Curtis Atrium naming ceremony, the Hon Dr Megan Woods, Minister for Research, Science and Innovation, referred to the growing body of evidence showing that diversity leads to greater creativity, innovation and productivity, and has the potential to improve the quality of research and the relevance of outcomes for society.

The University publishes an annual report on its progress in the equity space, and Dr Woods acknowledged the University’s commitment to transparency. However, while the Faculty of Science community is more diverse than ever before – 51 percent of our 8,000 equivalent full-time students identify as female – more progress is needed, particularly in the equal representation of women in senior science positions.

“Higher female participation in teams can help to overcome biases, ensure more equal participation and broaden viewpoints which can, in turn, spark new discoveries,” says Dr Woods.

“A representative scientific workforce is more likely to pursue solutions that put the long-term wellbeing of the New Zealand people and our environment at its centre.”

Faculty of Science Associate Dean Equity, Professor Virginia Braun, says that while momentum has been building in recent years, there is still the need to proactively support the diversification of science.

“We cannot simply wait for this change to happen. We need to look at ways to act, and to do things differently.”

These actions are our steps towards doing things differently – towards doing the science that New Zealand will need in the future.