Open Day opens doors for female students

The University of Sydney is committed to advancing gender equity with the initiation of pilot programs like SAGE (Science in Australia Gender Equity) and the Women in Science project which have been gaining significant momentum in recent years.

These programs were developed to address the underrepresentation of women in senior roles within the STEAMM (Science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics and medicine) disciplines.

Although there has been an encouraging increase in female enrolment in undergraduate and postgraduate courses, more can be done to ensure females pursue further education and secure leadership positions in their chosen field.

To address this problem, 20-plus highly successful female researchers are stepping onto soapboxes on Open Day for ‘STEAMM in Action!’, an all-day event which seeks to promote the broad range of career paths available to women.

Academics will give 30-minute informal talks about their journey beyond graduation, offering insightful tips about pursuing a unique career in fields like architecture, science, engineering, agriculture, health, mathematics, medicine and many more.

“Open Day is about inspiring people and creating a dream,” said Associate Professor Kellie Charles, a Lecturer in Pharmacology.

“We have a lot of female undergraduates but what you don’t see is what women do next after graduating. It’s essential that we vocalise the kind of jobs young women can do.

“Students need to see exciting female researchers that are not dramatically older than themselves succeeding in their careers to be inspired.”

“The variety of sciences that are out there, are well beyond what these young women imagine they might want to do when they finish high school,” she said.

Kellie first came up with the idea for STEAMM in Action! while representing the University in the World Economic Forum Young Scientists Community. She attended two meetings in China about innovation in science and technology from a global perspective.

“Advancements in science have large implications on society and it’s essential that we communicate this to the public in an engaging way.”

“Most of the other Young Scientists at the event mentioned that they held science festivals at their institutions and I thought we were missing that at University of Sydney.”

On return Kellie sat down with Professor Renae Ryan the Academic Director of SAGE to talk about organising a Soapbox Science inspired event.

“I thought I could use my voice as Academic Lead (Research) in the Faculty of Medicine and Health to promote the life-changing research performed by female academics.”

“This event will inspire both potential students and their parents to see that the University is full of exciting opportunities for STEAMM research. The sky really is the limit when it comes to studying at University of Sydney,” Kellie explained.

“I have been very lucky to travel and live all over the world with this amazing career, I want others to see our passion and create change in the world.”

Join us for Open Day on 25 August, where you can hear from the female super-group involved in STEAMM in Action!

Talks will be held all-day, from 10 to 2:30pm outside the Anderson Stuart Building on Eastern Avenue. Schedule of speakers below.