Women in STEM – Role Models
In 2017 MATRIX commissioned a study on Women in STEM. We spoke to girls studying for their GCSEs and A-levels and they told us that their career guidance often didn’t explain the opportunities that studying STEM subjects could offer them. They said that if they were good at science subjects, they tended to be pushed towards narrow, vocational STEM studies like medicine.
In fact, the broader STEM subjects like engineering or computer science offer much wider career choices and flexibility. We wanted to bring together some examples of women from Northern Ireland who have great careers in STEM. These interviews, which can be read at www.matrixni.org, tell you about their path through education, their careers and achievements, and why they love doing what they do.
You may not think STEM is for you, but when you read about how Dr. Rachel Gawley, who studied computer science, took an app she had developed to a stroke rehabilitation centre and saw her technology actually making a difference in people’s lives, you can see how you can make a real impact.
You can also read about Dr. Liz Conlon, who climbed to the top of Mauna Kea, an actively flowing volcano in Hawaii, to collect light beams as part of her research. “I felt as though I could just reach out and touch the stars. It was a truly mesmerising experience,” she says. Or how about Rebecca Walsh, who presented at an innovation event in the New York Stock Exchange when she was only 24! Studying STEM develops your confidence and makes you better at communication and problem solving.
A career in a STEM subject offers you the opportunity to travel the world, build solutions to real world problems and work on exciting projects as part of a team. And of course STEM careers are well paid, with a wide range of professions to choose from. However your career develops, a degree in a broad STEM subject will give you the skills you need to be the best you can be in your job.
As these interviews show, whatever your interests and ambitions in life, studying STEM brings opportunities and experiences that are fulfilling, exciting and rewarding.
