Press Release: First UK Scientista Chapter Launches with Women in Science Panel Event

By Brigitte West, UK Newcastle Scientista Chapter Director

Beauty by the Geeks Ltd. (www.beautybythegeeks.com) co-hosted the FMS Women in Science Panel Event with Newcastle University’s School of Biomedical Sciences at The International Centre for Life on Tuesday 17th February.  It was the first event of its kind at Newcastle University and was sponsored by the School of Biomedical Sciences, Proctor & Gamble UK and Newcastle Science City.  

We have a strong mission to support women in the sciences through workshops, events and programmes.  We want to tackle the "leaky pipeline", a metaphor for the continuous loss of women in science as they climb the career ladder. So, Beauty by the Geeks designed the panel event for female science undergraduates to promote the diverse career opportunities available to them.  

The FMS Women in Science Panel event provided the opportunity for undergraduates to listen to five diverse career journeys that all started with a science degree. The distinguished panelists advised and raised the aspirations of the female attendees, whilst encouraged them to pursue a career in science.

We had such an inspirational panel of speakers that included:

Claudia Stoker is a science Illustrator who has published artwork in Scientific America and works closely with the Gurdon Institute at Cambridge University.

Prof. Christine Harrison is a Prof. of Childhood Cancer Cytogenetics who is a leading researcher based at Newcastle University who said,  “Science is a wonderful career for women to be imaginative and creative. I have never looked back”.

Shaheda Ahmed - Senior Scientific Officer at Alcyomics who started a career in banking but changed her career path when her son developed a genetic disorder.

Julie Gould works at Naturejobs as an Advertorial Editor and has worked in numerous scientific communication areas such as television, radio and publishing.

Prof. Katherine Bushby is the Act.Res. Chair of Neuromuscular Genetics for Europe who started her career as a doctor and has now alter her career path into research!

We were thrilled with the response that our event received and we have had 100% of undergraduates asking for more FMS Women in Science Panel Events in the future!

One female undergraduate said: “It is rare to be able to see such a variable collection of inspirational women...  I found the information that was given to us very helpful. I found it was an overall calming experience for me as I currently feel at a bit of a disorientated attitude towards my future career path, it reassured me that there are many options”

Another female undergraduate exclaimed, “Everyone thought the panel was inspirational and that they have really given the oomph that we need to seek what else is out there in science!” 

At the event, we also launched the first UK Scientista STEM network! We were delighted to launch the first Scientista network at Newcastle University and we had an amazing response from our female undergraduates. Together with Scientista, we hope to address the lack of resources, community and role models for undergraduate women in science with similar events like the FMS Women in Science Event.

Scientista Founder, Julia Tartaglia said “We're thrilled to be embarking on this next phase and growing the Scientista community overseas. The UK has a great energy around issues of feminism and female empowerment, and I'm confident that the Scientista chapter program can gain a great deal of momentum in England. Expanding Scientista to the UK will strengthen our mission."

Brigitte West, CEO of Beauty by the Geeks Ltd, said “Beauty by the Geeks are delighted to have organized an innovative careers event for Newcastle University’s School of Biomedical Sciences. We truly believe that communication is key to combat the persistent hurdles in the advancement of women in the sciences. The launch of Scientista in the UK will build a strong, cohesive global network for women in science that can act as one voice”. 

We can’t wait to keep you updated with the first UK Scientista!  

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