TCD student group officers participated in a panel on “Women and Girls In Science”

Our TCD sg President and VP, Susana Ruiz Diaz and Vanessa Luna were invited as panelists in an event celebrating the Month of Women and Girls in Science. The discussion panel was hosted by UF SACNAS Chapter and was held virtually and in-person on February 28^th, 2022. During the event, panelists and participants from different countries and disciplines shared experiences that inspired them to pursue careers in science, challenges faced as female scientists in Latin America, and ideas on how to encourage the involvement of women and girls in science.

Some discussion highlights were:

1. Being a Woman in Science brings multiple challenges but role models show us that we can do it!
2. We need to speak about this topic at multiple scales, and it must be institutionalized
3. All of us have horror stories (micro- or macro- machismo) but we can work together to fight them
4. We must include other minorities (BIPOC, LGBTQ+) and men to integrate multiple perceptions in this fight
5. Now, as graduate students, we are in a position to support other women and girls in science
6. Finally, early exposure to nature and science definitely played a key role in our decision of becoming women in science