Looking for science mentors

Looking for science mentors

Auckland, New Zealand. 6 March 2015

The Association for Women in the Sciences (AWIS) is on the lookout for people who are doing their best to keep females in science.

Applications are now open for the Miriam Dell Award for Excellence in Science Mentoring. This is the second time the Award has been offered – the inaugural Award was presented to Dr Judith O’Brien of the University of Auckland in 2013.

The Miriam Dell Award is awarded on a biennial basis to someone who demonstrates outstanding mentoring efforts to retain females in science, mathematics or technology. Nominees can be from any part of the science system – including teachers at primary or secondary schools, lecturers or supervisors in tertiary education, or from commercial science-based organisations. They may have mentored, formally or informally, females at any stage in their career – from school age to the science workforce.

The Award is named for Dame Miriam Dell, Patron of AWIS, botanist, secondary school teacher and advocate for women’s advancement.

“Encouraging women in science is incredibly important,” says Emma Timewell, National Convenor of AWIS. “Having females across the science system provides a much-needed mix of viewpoints, skills and cultures that will allow New Zealand to excel in its endeavours. One of the key actions that supports this is ensuring females are adequately mentored at every stage of their career, from school to retirement. This Award acknowledges those mentors, particularly those who go beyond the call of duty to ensure girls and women are supported in meeting their scientific potential.”

“Good mentoring is a hallmark of many successful careers and it is very heartening to see greater recognition of the importance of this type of activity. I think it will be crucial in correcting the current gender imbalance at senior academic levels,” says Judy O’Brien, the inaugural Award winner and Deputy Director of Development at the University of Auckland.

Nomination forms and more information on the Award are available on the awis.org.nz website. Nominations for this year’s Award close on 30 June 2015.

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