The Women in Science and Engineering Summit brought together scientists, engineers, business leaders, research funders, policy makers and the media to discuss tangible solutions to the female brain drain in science and engineering. This report from the Summit comprises the brief communiqué issued on the day, and a more detailed communiqué written after the event. It sets the scene for action. A Powerpoint presentation outlining the WiSE Summit’s goals and achievements can be downloaded at www.sta.org.au. [continue reading…]
WiSE
More women are studying science at university than men. But they’re not staying in science. We’re losing them mid-career.
We, as a nation, are not successfully supporting their transition into independent researchers and science leaders. The loss of these highly trained smart women is economically and culturally damaging to Australia.
In April 2011, the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, UN Women Australia, and Science and Technology Australia ran a summit at Parliament House in Canberra on the issue of Women in Science and Engineering. Science in Public were the event managers.
More than 150 senior managers from corporations, government, research institutions, research funders, universities, and non-governmental organisations participated.
Click here for a link to the communique that stemmed from the discussion.
And here for a link to the various reports and resources that were tabled at the summit including a report written by the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological societies, now known as Science and Technology Australia.
WiSE summit photos
15 April, 2011Photos from the Women in Science and Engineering summit at Parliament House in Canberra on April 11 2011.
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WiSE Summit communiqué: commitments to action 11 April 2011
12 April, 2011CSIRO, Australia’s largest employer of researchers on Monday 11 April committed to remove barriers to the promotion of highly skilled women and to increase incentives to encourage women to return to the workforce after maternity leave.
These were two of many commitments made by research funders, leaders and employers who today came together for the first time at the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Summit in Parliament House, Canberra.
The Summit, attended by the Hon Kate Ellis, Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare and for the Status of Women, discussed how to keep women in science and encourage more young women into engineering in order to boost productivity and equity.
Importantly, the nation’s leading research funders, the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Council, agreed to changes in how they assess research publications in the grant application of those with interrupted careers. The ARC committed to extending the period taken into account. The NHMRC this year will consider any nominated five years of an applicant’s career rather than the previous five years, and it has also agreed to monitor gender issues in general.
WiSE Resources
11 April, 2011Further resources around the topics of the Women in Science and Engineering Summit:
- WiSE summit material from ANSTO. Available in PDF – Email size and Hi-Res
- FASTS Women in Science in Australia report compiled by Sharon Bell. Click here.
- Download the UN Women Australia Principles here.
- WISE Summit – CEO Statement of Support and Form Click here.
The female brain drain – we’re losing our best minds
7 April, 2011Summit: Monday 11 April 10.30am to 4 pm Mural Hall, Parliament House Canberra, Media welcome
What are CSIRO, ANSTO, the ARC, the NHMRC, Cochlear, CSL…going to do about it?
We’re losing our top young scientists – but not to better pay overseas – they’re dropping out of science and engineering in their 30s. It’s a cultural and economic loss to the country affecting every field from medicine to climate research to astronomy.
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WiSE Summit announced
9 March, 2011
The challenge
More women are studying science at university than men. But they’re not staying in science. We’re losing them mid-career.
We, as a nation, are not successfully supporting their transition into independent researchers and science leaders. The loss of these highly trained smart women is economically and culturally damaging to Australia.
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