Celebrating women in science

Celebrating women in science

This July, New Zealand’s female scientists from the past, present and future will be celebrated as Auckland hosts the ninth triennial Association for Women in the Sciences conference.

The two day conference will offer opportunities for women working, or wanting to work, in any field of science to develop their skills to benefit both their careers and personal lives. Key to the event is the range of networking opportunities allowing attendees to learn from each other’s stories. The programme has been developed to appeal to all women with an interest in science, including research scientists, administrators, businesswomen and educators. The programme is also intended to be accessible and of interest to young women nearing the end of their secondary or tertiary studies.

“AWIS was created more than 30 years ago, and the conference offers a great opportunity to reflect on how the science sector has changed over this time and how the organisation can best support its members into the future,” says National Convenor Emma Timewell. “Over the course of the two day event, we will identify the changes in science that have influenced women in the past and, more importantly, the factors influencing the decisions young women are making when entering a career in science, and how we can support them to ensure gender balance at all levels of the science system into the future.

“Women are still under-represented in the New Zealand science system, particularly in the upper levels of both academia and industry. AWIS provides opportunities, like the conference, for women to share their issues, learn from each other, and celebrate their achievements. We hope that women at all stages of their careers, from secondary students to the most experienced, will attend the conference and benefit from the topics under discussion, learn something new and extend their network.”

Registration for AWIS2017 is now open at www.scienceevents.co.nz/awis2017, with early bird pricing valid until mid-May. The conference is taking place on 13 and 14 July at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland. Also keep an eye out for speaker and activity announcements on Facebook and Twitter, @awisnz #awis2017.

AWIS would like to thank the sponsors of the AWIS2017 conference – Te Pūnaha Matatini, MBIE, Plant & Food Research, the NZ National Commission for UNESCO, The MacDiarmid Institute, The University of Auckland Faculty of Science and the Cawthron Institute.

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