THE AGE of stupid, “Doraemon”, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and Jurassic Park are not just entertaining movies or cartoons.
To three women scientists, these movies and cartoon evoked their curiosity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and has led them to a career in research.
Engineering Analyst at Petronas, Wei Vern Hor was enticed into the climate change mitigation plight after watching “The Age of Stupid” and pursued her interests to further her studies in an engineering course related to sustainable energy. She then ventured into an oil and rig career in a male-dominated world.
This was shared at a recent “Women in STEM: Igniting Passion, Inspiring Leadership” webinar jointly organised by the British Council, Science Media Centre Malaysia and The Petri Dish in conjunction with International Women’s Day on March 8.
For Dr Norfadhlina Mohd Sharef, who is the Deputy Director for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at Centre for Academic Development in Universiti Putra Malaysia, the teleport door featured in Doraemon aroused the curious and explorative nature of her personhood. It is no wonder then, that she pursued the study of data science, data mining and intelligent computing.
Microbiologist, Dr Chai Lay Ching, who won the L’Oreal – UNESCO Women in Science award in 2018 and Chair of Young Scientist Network (YSN) under the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, said: “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and “Jurassic Park” inspired her to pursue a scientific career in microbiology. “The visits to the hospitals with my dad who had kidney problems also raised my curiosity and interests in medical research. I was too emotional to become a doctor, so I chose to work in the laboratory”, said Chai.
“Although I never set my path to be a scientist as a child, I used to draw a lot and ask too many “why” questions,” added Chai, who narrated reasons that led her to be a scientist.
Who would have expected the humble fruit fly to be the motivating factor for Prof Kim Dale? She is now a Professor of Molecular Development Biology at the University of Dundee – one of the best universities for life sciences in the United Kingdom (UK).
“How do cells talk to each other; make tissues and organs and they do this not just at the right time but at the right place. Having had two children, developmental biology became a fascinating miracle for me,” enthuses Kim.
Things got better for Kim during her fourth-year honours project where her mentor used a fruit fly as a model to understand human development. “As strange as it sounds, fruit flies give us an indication of gene expression in cells and imagining human development through the humble fruit fly took me to where I am today,” says Kim.
Life in the UK as a student
Relating their experience studying in the UK, Vern says it was the best time of her life. “UK provided both the familiar and unfamiliar territory for Malaysians. We drive on the same side of the road, speak the same language, yet the culture is different. There is so much room to challenge your personal ideas in the UK” explains Vern.
“My biggest lesson is when given a project, we learn the tools to solve the problem in the first week; in the second week we think we got it right; then in week three we realised that we got it completely wrong; and finally in week four, we realised there were no right or wrong answers. It is very open-ended and it is not about getting the right answer. It is about being inquisitive, developing our thought process, challenging the questions in different perspectives and discovering things that were not discovered by others,” the inspiring Vern says.
Norfadhlina had her ups and downs in the UK but she built her support system to get her emotional endurance, go through the turbulence and build her survival instinct. “I delivered my first baby in the UK, my husband was also pursuing his PhD there but in a different laboratory. Support from supervisor, lab mates and foster families helped me a lot,” says Fadhlina walking down the memory lane.
The value of post-graduate studies
When asked about the importance of post-graduate studies, Kim says as undergraduates, students learn how to do experiments. As post-graduates, they ask their own questions and design their experiment to address that.
“The four-year journey can be the most exciting time. You transform from a mentee to the person who knows your study the best. For a researcher, nothing matches the excitement, pride when you do the experiments to get your answers. It gives tremendous motivation, skillsets, resilience, passion to succeed, motivation and drive. When something doesn’t work, redesign, not give up,” says Kim.
To Chai post-graduate studies adds value and focus. “I feel skills acquired in a bachelors degree is not enough. They are just fundamental. Post-graduate studies provide different skills sets that enable arriving at solutions via a systematic and scientific process,” explains Chai, lending her perspective.
Challenges for women in STEM
Talking about the challenges women face in STEM, Kim says it is possible for women to do both – raise a family and gain upward mobility in a research career. Kim feels a research career gives flexibility as the job cannot stop and start and there is no such thing as the perfect time to work. “Get a support system, build up a work-life balance and do both at the same time,” advises Kim.
The engineering sector is evolving and optimistic Vern says, “This is a field where you see overalls designed for men. It is changing today as more women are entering engineering fields and we see more empathy for our kind. Today, we see nursing rooms for mothers and nurseries at workplaces. I am happy to see the progress where logistics and facilities for women are improved,” says Vern.
Chai says close to 50% of researchers in Malaysia are women. However, she is quick to point out that numbers alone do not explain equality. “It is about quality. While YSN gets an equal number of applications, after screening, more male researchers are accepted. Only 30% are women members. At the Academy of Sciences, it is only 20%. Many women shy away from higher responsibility due to their obligations at home. It is not a lack of excellence among women researchers,” Chai explains.
Opportunities for Women in STEM
All women are still optimistic about the opportunities that are ahead for women in STEM. Norfadlina sees the need for more women innovators to bring creativity and diversity in innovation. She cites apps with a different interface that could resonate better with women users. The current pandemic is a silver lining where the Industrial Revolution 4.0 is being adopted faster than expected.
Chai says there is so much to be discovered to battle diseases and women who make up half of the workforce must not be sidelined. Vern concurs saying problems need to be seen from different perspectives and women could bring additional angles to how solutions can be developed.
On suggestions to support more women to pursue STEM careers, Kim says role models are very important. “We need role models who could hold the ladder for us and show us how to go around obstacles,” suggests Kim.
Norfadhlina says there are already initiatives to map and align industry activities, and this era, especially the present epoch of artificial intelligence has more opportunities and women should leverage this.
Chai says the feeling of inferiority, knowing the tools to succeed, a supportive spouse and developing self-confidence is critical. “Most women do not apply for new positions if their skillsets only match half of what is required. Men do the opposite. Women apply only if they fulfil all requirements. But we have to understand that we learn from applying,” says Chai.
The webinar moderated by Tan Su Lin, Co-founder of Science Media Centre, Malaysia brought to the fore women’s unique experiences and opportunities in STEM.
Scholarships for women in STEM from The British Council
At the end of the webinar, Prabha Sundram, Head of Education, British Council announced a unique scholarship programme launched by the British Council in partnership with the UK Universities aimed at benefitting women from South East Asia.
The scholarship is specially for women with a background in STEM, who can demonstrate their need for financial support and who wish to inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in STEM. Scholarship recipients will receive a scholarship to study a master’s degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics programme at a leading UK university.
The scholarship also provides support for women with accompanying children.
Deadlines for application are coming up soon in March, so do click on the link below for more details on the scholarship opportunity.
British Council scholarships for women in STEM | British Council
