MARiS Women In Science Series | Part 1 | August 2022

Did you know that only 35% of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students in higher education on a global scale are women?

Sylvia Earle is an incredible example of a woman in STEM in the marine sphere. She was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998. Sylvia has logged more than 7,000 hours underwater and was instrumental in having Google Earth display ocean data.

In the video, Sylvia briefly speaks about her life, work, and challenges as an American oceanographer and explorer. Sylvia is one of several fantastic female scientists challenging and changing the marine science field.

Did you know that in South Africa, only 13% of graduates with qualifications in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are women?

Despite this low proportion, women have come a long way to gain representation in science through the hard work done by the past and present leading female scientists.

At the University of Cape Town (UCT), we have access to several leading women in marine and antarctic science.

But who are they? How do we access them? How do we learn from them?

These thoughts brought about the ‘MARiS Women in Science Series'.

Since August is Women’s month, we have decided to pay tribute to some of the incredible women part of the MARiS research team. We will be running a ‘Women in Science Series’ where we will be chatting to female scientists within MARIS to learn more about the blood, sweat, and tears that got them to where they are today (and obviously some tips and tricks for our Early Career Researchers). We hope that learning more about these women and how they got to where they are will inspire fellow female scientists to push their boundaries and strive for their dreams!

This series will cover several MARiS women scientists' personal journeys, their suggestions for women in science, words of wisdom to young females aspiring to be a scientist, and the joys and challenges of motherhood as a scientist. So watch this space and be prepared for some female empowerment because we’re giving you buckets of it.

Yours seancerely,

MARIS Comms Team

If you have any specific questions for these remarkable women or us, please contact us at comms.maris@uct.ac.za.

See more related articles in the Women in Science Series

MARIS Women in Science Series Part 2

In celebration of Women’s Month, we will be sharing a few of the many stories shared by some of the most influential female scientists associated with MARiS.

MARIS Women in Science Series Part 3

In celebration of Women’s Month, we will be sharing a few of the many stories shared by some of the most influential female scientists associated with MARiS. This week's article will be focusing on the women ...