This post by Lauren Goodfellow, with some edits by Alice De Sampiao Kalkuhl.
Every young person, no matter what it is they want in life, will look for a role model. It is sometimes difficult for women, looking to pursue a career in a male-dominated field, to find a role model that they can connect with enough to truly believe they can one day be like their hero. Science is one of those fields that can be intimidating for young women, but people like Nancy Rothwell are slowly breaking down the barriers for other women to follow in their footsteps. Rothwell succeeded not only in the scientific field, but also within academia which makes her a role model above and beyond normal.
Each year, International Women's Day celebrates the amazing achievements of women from around the world, bringing their enormous contributions to society to the centre stage. To commemorate this great day, The University of Manchester and WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) organised a talk with Dame Nancy Rothwell who, after a lot of convincing by the late Alan Gilbert, is the first female President and Vice Chancellor of the university, a post that she has held since 2010.
Rothwell talked about her experience and responded to questions like, 'What makes a scientist? Are they born, or are they made?'. She said that, personally, she had known she wanted to be a scientist from as young as 5 years old. This would seem to suggest that you are born with a love of science, but I (Lauren) think that you are born with an innate desire to learn, which goes perfectly with becoming a scientist. This inquisitive behaviour is key for a future scientist, but it so often goes unnutured in little girls whilst it is encouraged in boys. After A-levels in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Art, Rothwell graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Physiology from Queen Elizabeth College London, in 1976. She then went on to attain a Doctorate in the same field, which eventually led her to a research fellowship with the Royal Society. Her career at Manchester began in 1987, which eventually led her to become the successor of Alan Gilbert as the President and Vice-chancellor of the University.
Rothwell gave some interesting tips for women and men who are looking to succeed within a scientific discipline, although some of them are relevant for any future career:
- You make important discoveries when you tackle important questions
- Choose good mentors
- Be honest with yourself
- Stick to your principles, because you have to live with your conscience
- Use your head, but follow your heart
- Distinguish the important from the urgent
- Look for the unexpected
- Ask for criticism, then listen to it
- Celebrate your successes, don't dwell on failure
She highlighted the importance of working with a team and the importance of creativity. She also emphasised the need for good time management, and allowing yourself down time. Another important idea for the future is to keep up a network of international collaboration, as we need to work together globally to combat the problems that face our species.
She also covered the problems that women may face within a scientific field:
- There are long hours
- A lot of travel involved
- High expectations (You can't be just as good as men, you have to be better)
- Keeping a work-life balance
- The lack of women in leadership positions
The final problem on that list comes from her personal experience. the more senior she became within science and academia, the more men dominated. Unfortunately, this continues to be a problem, with 2014 figures showing that only 18% of full time academics are female. Although, in the University of Manchester, this number is as high as about 31% in Engineering which is definitely a step in the right direction. This highlights the importance of people like Nancy, and other women in science continuing to fight for their rightful place within the scientific community. Rothwell praised women in leadership roles within science for providing a different style and approach to a field that is very prone to doing things as they are done, not how they could be done. She also encouraged women to think about becoming lecturers and teachers themselves, to provide that inspiration for others to do the same. Currently, only 14% of Engineering students are women, which could surely rise astronomically if there were more female role models in engineering for young women.
The take home message from this talk is that every woman has the power to succeed, it is just up to us as individuals to make sure that happens, so we can lead the way for future generations.
Her "Who wants to be a scientist?" was published in 2012.
Watch a video from the WISE President about the talk here.
Every young person, no matter what it is they want in life, will look for a role model. It is sometimes difficult for women, looking to pursue a career in a male-dominated field, to find a role model that they can connect with enough to truly believe they can one day be like their hero. Science is one of those fields that can be intimidating for young women, but people like Nancy Rothwell are slowly breaking down the barriers for other women to follow in their footsteps. Rothwell succeeded not only in the scientific field, but also within academia which makes her a role model above and beyond normal.
 |
| Dame Nancy Rothwell |
Each year, International Women's Day celebrates the amazing achievements of women from around the world, bringing their enormous contributions to society to the centre stage. To commemorate this great day, The University of Manchester and WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) organised a talk with Dame Nancy Rothwell who, after a lot of convincing by the late Alan Gilbert, is the first female President and Vice Chancellor of the university, a post that she has held since 2010.
Rothwell gave some interesting tips for women and men who are looking to succeed within a scientific discipline, although some of them are relevant for any future career:
- You make important discoveries when you tackle important questions
- Choose good mentors
- Be honest with yourself
- Stick to your principles, because you have to live with your conscience
- Use your head, but follow your heart
- Distinguish the important from the urgent
- Look for the unexpected
- Ask for criticism, then listen to it
- Celebrate your successes, don't dwell on failure
She highlighted the importance of working with a team and the importance of creativity. She also emphasised the need for good time management, and allowing yourself down time. Another important idea for the future is to keep up a network of international collaboration, as we need to work together globally to combat the problems that face our species.
- There are long hours
- A lot of travel involved
- High expectations (You can't be just as good as men, you have to be better)
- Keeping a work-life balance
- The lack of women in leadership positions
The final problem on that list comes from her personal experience. the more senior she became within science and academia, the more men dominated. Unfortunately, this continues to be a problem, with 2014 figures showing that only 18% of full time academics are female. Although, in the University of Manchester, this number is as high as about 31% in Engineering which is definitely a step in the right direction. This highlights the importance of people like Nancy, and other women in science continuing to fight for their rightful place within the scientific community. Rothwell praised women in leadership roles within science for providing a different style and approach to a field that is very prone to doing things as they are done, not how they could be done. She also encouraged women to think about becoming lecturers and teachers themselves, to provide that inspiration for others to do the same. Currently, only 14% of Engineering students are women, which could surely rise astronomically if there were more female role models in engineering for young women.
The take home message from this talk is that every woman has the power to succeed, it is just up to us as individuals to make sure that happens, so we can lead the way for future generations.
“How did I break through the glass ceiling? Sorry, I missed it.”
Nancy Rothwell
Her "Who wants to be a scientist?" was published in 2012.
Watch a video from the WISE President about the talk here.
Comments
Post a Comment