On 11 February, the United Nations, Berkeley Lab, and other organizations worldwide marked the 6th annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The day focuses on the reality that science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of international development goals, such as climate change mitigation.
Susan Hubbard, Associate Laboratory Director of the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area, recognizes the transformative role of gender diversity across the Earth sciences in the video above and encourages more women to step into these roles. “If you are an interested woman or girl, I highly encourage you to consider this as a career path. We welcome you. We need you, and you have a huge potential to make a big and positive impact,” she says.
The Earth & Environmental Sciences Area reached out to women on our team to learn about what International Day of Women and Girls in Science means to them, as well as what has motivated them to keep going in the field. You can read their responses below – learn more about their work by clicking on their names.
Barbara Bomfim– “#WomenInScience is about highlighting the paramount contributions women have made in science in spite of the massive barriers we still face.”
Sara Gushgari-Doyle– “I’m so grateful for the inspiring #WomenInScience who have been my mentors, and I hope to help remove systemic barriers for future women, because we belong in science.”
Julia Correa– “#WomenInScience is about representivity for future generations and showing that there are a lot of great women out there taking the lead in science.”
Helen Weierbach– “Throughout my career, I have felt empowered when working amongst other women in science and encouraged that I too can make an impact in the Earth sciences.”
Erica Woodburn shared a quote from Mae Jemison, the first African American female astronaut- “You have the right to be involved. You have something important to contribute, and you have to take the risk to contribute it.”
Check out the Tweets we shared on International Day of Women & Girls in Science here: https://twitter.com/i/moments/1364658294120308736