Issue 20: Women of Science Dec '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 (and holding space for the lyrics of defying gravity…)
🔬 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
🥼 Life sciences
📌 Professor of Applied Mathematics at École Polytechnique, Sylvie Méléard has been awarded the Prix Irène Joliot-Curie Prize
Prof Sylvie Méléard has been awarded the Prix Irène Joliot-Curie Prize - Woman Scientist of the Year by the French Academy of Sciences, which recognizes a woman who has made an outstanding contribution to scientific research 🚀
📌 Math-selective US universities reduce gender gap in STEM fields
The most selective universities approach gender parity in physics, engineering, and computer science, while less selective institutions see widening gaps, according to new research.
📌 DMZ's Women Innovation Summit returns for year three, with $100,000 in cash investments from The Firehood to back the visionaries transforming the tech landscape
Applications for DMZ's Women Innovation Pitch Competition and Women of the Year Award nominations are now open 🥳
🚀 Physics
📌 Female astronaut goes to space but can’t escape online sexism by ‘small men’
There isn’t a galaxy far, far away enough where women can escape sexist online trolls.
🌎 Climate science
📌 Meet two early-stage climate startups scaling breakthrough technologies
Turning a scientific breakthrough into a viable business isn’t easy — but here’s how two companies are scaling their environmental and commercial impact.
📌 Vanessa Kerry is on a mission to make the health care system resilient to climate change
Vanessa Kerry founded Seed Global Health more than a decade ago to tackle inequities in healthcare systems around the world, and this article with STAT cites how climate change is exacerbating the disparities.
🏛️ Policy
📌 Women in Autophagy: an initiative to promote gender parity in science
Scientific questions are universal but the scientific workforce remains skewed with women and gender minorities still underrepresented, according to this report.
💻 Tech
TechRound share their insights for the next year and what it means for the femtech industry…
📌 Does tech have gender? Venture capitalist Priyanka Gill says femtech is the future
Priyanka, a venture partner of Kalaari Capital and group co-founder of Glamm Group, shares her views 👩💻🧑🏻💻
📌 How Supporting Femtech Start-Ups Now Will Benefit Long-Term Healthcare Solutions For Women
The CBO of one of Europe’s largest science and technology parks calls for richer female-specific data sets to enable more informed and personalised healthcare 👏
🤖 AI
Daisy is a human-like AI that has been developed to hold autonomous conversations with scam callers and keep them on the line for as long as possible. Sweet (dystopian) revenge? 👵🏼
In a week that has seen Gen Z vocalise their backlash against dating app use, Whitney Wolfe Herd counters by saying AI could do the dating grunt work for you.
💊 Healthcare
📌 Tween Period Care co. wins Grand Prize from Pharrell Williams' Black Ambition
RedDrop, a wellness brand focused on period care for tween girls, has won the $1 million grand prize from Pharrell Williams' Black Ambition.
📌 Cervical cancer deaths are plummeting among young U.S. women
A new study shows a steep drop in cervical cancer deaths among the first cohort of women who were eligible for the HPV vaccine (🎉).
Materials, Methods, Discussion
This week - interviews, discussions and more:
🖊️ Interviews of note:
How to counter obstetric and gynaecological violence against women: This Science feature shares views on what is - and how to counter - obstetric and gynaecological violence.
Cece Meadows: Profile in The Cut - The Prados founder and CEO shares how she “gets it done” and how an ovarian cancer diagnosis derailed her work-life balance…
🖊️ Pods and vids:
🧠 ‘There’s never a right time, so do it now’: How to turn your passion into your businessIs it ever a good idea to turn your passion into a business?
For a BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour special, Krupa Padhy was joined by a host of special guests to answer just that. Should you try to turn your passion into a business? And if you do, what advice should you listen to before you take the plunge?
🥇 Virginia Holsinger (As Told by USDA Chief Scientist Dr. Catherine Woteki)This episode of Obama White House focuses on Virginia H. Holsinger - an American chemist known for her research on dairy products and food security issues.
⚗️ Why? with Emma Kennedy - Why are we drawn to evil?Many of us are obsessed with true crime documentaries and podcasts, and actively seek out the most gruesome details of horrific murder, torture and kidnapping. It’s all pretty horrible – so why are we drawn to it? Does ‘evil’ really exist – and if so, what does it look like? Are people born evil or do they become it over time?
Emma Kennedy is joined by forensic psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das and the UK’s top expert on serial killers, criminologist Professor David Wilson to uncover why we are so obsessed with evil.
Conclusions & Further Reading
More links & signposts for you to enjoy this week…
The Written Word:
🗣️ As women in academia, having children can feel impossible. Talking about it makes us feel less alone
🌠📚 Women and physics: navigating history, careers, and the path forward
Events & opportunities:
🎯 Sign up to be a healthtech mentor (or mentee) with Sixty Twelve: Is this something we at WOSc are building ourselves? Keep your eyes peeled (and pass on the message)!
📍 Open deadline
🎯 GIANT Health Event, 2024: A face to face, in person, 2-day NHS Innovation festival at The Business Design Centre, London, where you can join the largest, most valuable annual NHS Innovation and Technology and network with everyone involved in NHS health and innovation.
📍 9-10th Dec
🎯 Women in STEM - From Business School to Biotech Innovation: Presented by Women In Business - IÉSEG, this conference will explore Nathalie’s career journey, focusing on her experiences as a woman in STEM and her leadership role in driving cutting-edge advancements in healthcare.
📍 9th Dec, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM GMT
…and finally, because we really loved (for no other specific reason than that she is fabulous) this interview with Brit comedienne Jenny Eclair in The Times. Our favourite excerpts:
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.
If you liked it, here’s another reminder to share us with your friends, network, neighbours, coffee baristas ☕ etc.:
love getting this newsletter in my inbox! so many women doing great things!