Issue 18: Women of Science Nov '24
News, profiles, research, reviews, recommendations on all things women in science
Welcome back to another edition of WOSc - the weekly newsletter covering all things women in science 📈🧠📚𝞹
🔬 What to expect?
All subscribers receive the free edition covering highlights in media, awards and discovery as well as things to read, see and watch re: women in science. Drops every Tuesday. Tell your friends:
Thank you for joining. Enjoy the read.
A quick run-down of this issue:
Abstract & Intro: News and updates on all things women of and in science
Materials, Methods, Discussion: Interviews and talking points of note
Conclusions & Further Reading: Our media & content recommendations for your week
Abstract & Intro
Your rundown of headlines, news, notes & media snippets re: women of science
🧪 General science
📌 Two women among six Indian researchers get Infosys Prize this year
The award, which is given every year to honour the achievements of researchers and scientists, includes a cash reward of USD$100,000.
📌 Female researchers win more grants when they work together
An Australian study has revealed that women's chances of winning research funding are enhanced if they work in teams, specifically teams headed by senior female academics.
🥼 Life sciences
European startups in the femtech vertical pulled in a record amount of venture capital funding this year as awareness around the field improved - hurrah!
🌎 Climate science
📌 Climate change: women’s role in the economy is key to a just transition
Evidence suggests that a low-carbon transition could worsen gender inequalities if not properly addressed in climate policy, and how to tackle it , as per The Conversation.
📌 Climate change increases violence against women - and some disasters are more of a threat than others
Storms, flooding, and landslides, which are becoming more extreme as the planet gets hotter, have a “significant” tie to abuse or aggression of women - as this article from The Independent sadly showcases.
🏛️ Policy
Failure to elect a female leader is not a uniquely American problem, or so says this week’s FT in the aftermath of the U.S. election.
💻 Tech
📌 SAP BrandVoice: A Bright Future For 100 Innovative Women In Tech
Is the tech industry creating opportunities for women? Researchers interviewed 100 trailblazing women to find out.
Femtech apps aim to empower users by helping them gain insights into their reproductive and sexual health. But how is that data being used, exactly?
📌 FemTech Market Is Booming So Rapidly | Elvie, Thinx, Moonjune
The latest study released on the Global FemTech Market by USD Analytics Market evaluates market size, trend, and forecast to 2032, and shows a big boom for all things femtech.
📌 Struggling DNA-testing site 23andMe to lay off 40% of its workers
The struggling genetic testing company 23andMe says it will cut 40% of its workforce, or 200 jobs, as it continues the fight for survival.
🤖 AI
📌 Amazon shuts down secret project to develop fertility tracker
Amazon recently axed a secretive project focused on developing an at-home fertility tracking product (CNBC), as part of Amazon's moonshot incubator Grand Challenge launched as a way to develop “experimental businesses”.
It seems that businesses can increase the number of women in leadership through upskilling in artificial intelligence, which should be no surprise to anyone. But will it actually happen?
💊 Healthcare
📌 Establishment Labs Announces Three-Year Mia Femtech Clinical Results
The Mia Femtech Clinical Study is an IRB-approved prospective study that enrolled 100 subjects between December 2020 and April 2021, and its preliminary results are out: read on for more!
Women will be sent invitations for cancer screening via the NHS App as part of a new “ping and book” service, NHS England has announced.
Materials, Methods, Discussion
This week - interviews, discussions and more:
🖊️ Papers of note:
Frontiers of Medical Research: Women’s Health: Science last week published their special supplement—the sixth in a series on “Frontiers of Medical Research”— which reports on the latest findings in women’s health research and identifies priorities for advancing our understanding of disease in girls and women and our ability to find cures.
🖊️ Interviews of note:
Femtech funding: ‘We do it with babies in our bellies, on our boobs, and in our boardrooms. And we succeed’: Why is it less likely for women founders of healthtech start-ups to secure investment? Kathleen Gallagher speaks to female execs at Hertility, Peri and more.
25 Famous Female Leaders on Power: 25 formidable leaders from across various industries share their thoughts on power — how to define, attain, wield, and share it.
Softonic CEO: ‘Having a female leader promote other female leaders has driven our success’: Fiona Garvey, CEO of Softonic since 2020, has already managed to achieve a near-zero gender pay gap.
🖊️ Pods and vids:
👩🏻🔬 Transforming clinical trials - Dr Melanie Ivarsson: NewScientistIn this third episode of this free New Scientist podcast, the team meet Dr Melanie Ivarsson, from the global biotechnology company Moderna, to find out why she chose the UK for a billion-pound research and development program.
Lost Women of Science Conversations: Attention is DiscoveryFor every Marie Curie or Rosalind Franklin whose story has been told, hundreds of female scientists remain unknown to the public at large. In this series, the hosts behind Lost Women of Science illuminate the lives and work of a diverse array of groundbreaking scientists who, because of time, place, and gender, have gone largely unrecognised.
Conclusions & Further Reading
More links & signposts for you to enjoy this week…
The Written Word:
👩🏻🔬 Why are women more disgusted than men? It may help them live longer
✍️ Men do better in exams, women do better in coursework – here’s the science why
🛣️ What’s Next For Femtech: Charting A Path For Women’s Health Innovation In The U.S.
🌐 Women Over 50 Are Leading On Climate Action and Women do the hard work when it comes to tackling climate change, but are not involved in strategy. This needs to change
Events & opportunities:
Newly opened Calls for Applications L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Programmes
📍 19-20 Nov
Become an OHT Fellow: OHT Fellows are working to create approaches, solutions, resources or opportunities to improve diversity in healthtech. As part of a multidisciplinary and global community, OHT Fellows have the opportunity to learn from and contribute to a variety of approaches to address diversity and community challenges in the health innovation sector.
📍 Deadline for the 2025 cohort: 16 December 2024
That’s all for this issue!
Thank you for reading: The WoS mission is to support, share and promote the innovative and groundbreaking work that has been and continues to be done by women across all scientific disciplines, and to empower and inspire the next generation of female leaders in the field.
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