By Georgia Barrington-Smith
It’s been a wonderful few months for women in STEM. AINSE’s Women in STEM Entrepreneurship (WISE) School in December is fast approaching, and AINSE has also been fortunate to attend some fantastic events promoting opportunities for Women in STEM and specifically opportunities within the nuclear industry.
In October, AINSE were invited to present at WISTEM’s EmpowerHER event at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne. Alongside AINSE were Women Coders, a community-driven initiative that promotes gender diversity in tech, and Startmate, one of Australia’s leading startup accelerators.
AINSE’s Communication and STEM Manager, Michael Rose and Marketing and STEM Officer, Georgia Barrington-Smith provided an overview of AINSE programs to participating students. AINSE’s suite of events and scholarships are dedicated to helping students progress in the STEM industry by connecting them to world-class scientific infrastructure at ANSTO.
WISTEM president Ramsha Asif hosted a wonderful event, providing an open platform for industry members to connect with students and gain unique insights into research and industry opportunities in STEM.
On 7th November, AINSE attended another wonderful female-led initiative, with Women in Nuclear (WiN) Australia hosting their inaugural ‘Women in Nuclear Day’ at the University of NSW.
Celebrating and coinciding with Marie Curie’s and Lise Meitner’s birthday, this event featured presentations from outstanding women across the Australian nuclear science and engineering sector sharing their career journeys.
Following these stories, the speakers provided insights into a range of topics including ‘imposter syndrome’, career support and wellbeing, and the importance of diversity in the nuclear industry.
The afternoon session featured engaging presentations from women in the nuclear law and policy sector. These women gave unique perspectives on the strategic planning vital to success in nuclear science and technology. These topical discussions identified the growing demand and new opportunities for people with a vast range of backgrounds and skills, as nuclear in Australia continues to develop into the future.
AINSE would like to thank WISTEM and WiN Australia for two fantastic events, celebrating and supporting women in STEM! We look forward to working with WISTEM, WiN Australia and other collaborating partners to continue to support students and early career researchers in nuclear science, engineering, and related research fields.