WiSEsummit  

Women in Science & Engineering Summit

Organised  under  the  auspices  of  

Organised  by  FASTS,  now  Science  &  Technology  Australia  

Lead  supporters

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Supporters  

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Women  in  Science  and  Engineering  –  THE  ISSUE  

•  despite  our  best  efforts  we  are  s=ll  not  achieving  gender  equity  

•  some  of  our  brightest  scien=sts  are  leaving  science  mid-­‐career  

•  too  few  young  women  are  considering  engineering  and  the  physical  sciences  as  poten=al  career  paths.    

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Women  in  Science  and  Engineering  –  THE  GOAL  

Australia  will  gain  both  economically  and  socially  if  it  can  capture  its  investment  in  

training  smart  young  women  in  science  and  engineering  and  nurture  them  into  careers  as  

senior  research  and  technology  leaders  

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The  WiSE  Summit  aimed  to:  

•  highlight  the  barriers  facing  women  in  science  and  engineering  careers  

•  encourage  science  and  engineering  leaders  to  take  prac=cal  steps  to  retain  young  women  scien=sts  and  engineers  

•  explore  other  opportuni=es  to  improve  gender  equality  in  science  and  engineering.  

•  WiSE  Summit  was  held  on  11  April  2011  in  Canberra  

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WiSE  Summit  was  a?ended  by:  

•  the  Minister  for  Employment  Par=cipa=on  and  Minister  for  Child  Care,  the  Hon  Kate  Ellis  MP  

•  more  than  150  senior  managers  from  corpora=ons,  government,  research  ins=tu=ons,  research  funders,  universi=es,  and  non-­‐governmental  organisa=ons    

•  high-­‐achieving  young  women  in  science  and  engineering  

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Dr  Cathy  Foley,  President  of  Science  &  Technology  Australia,  presented  results  

from  a  recent  report:  

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Major  commitments  were  made  in  the  three  roundtables:  

1.  Improving  the  workplace  –  gender  equity  in  ac=on    

2.  ASrac=ng  school  and  university  students  to  the  physical  sciences,  engineering  and  maths    

3.  Changing  the  system–leaders  of  science  and  engineering  agencies  in  discussion  with  the  Hon  Kate  Ellis  MP  

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ACTION  COMMITTED:  Research  funding  commitments  for  grant  

applicants  with  interrupted  careers:  

•  the  NaNonal  Health  and  Medical  Research  Council  (NHMRC)  will  consider  any  nominated  five  years  rather  than  the  immediate  previous  five  years  

•  the  Australian  Research  Council  (ARC)  will  extend  the  normal  period  taken  into  account  when  assessing  research  publica=on  records.  

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Other  NHMRC  and  ARC  commitments:  

•  NHMRC  will  undertake  long  term  monitoring  and  address  gender  issues  with  research  ins=tutes  

•  The  ARC  will:  – consider  the  inclusion  of  outreach  ac=vi=es  in  assessment  for  grants  

– share  examples  of  the  benefits  of  increasing  the  par=cipa=on  of  women  in  research.  

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CSIRO  commi?ed  to:  •  remove  barriers  to  the  promo=on  of  highly  skilled  women,  and  boost  incen=ves  to  encourage  women  to  return  to  the  workforce  aVer  maternity  leave,  by  –  increasing  the  number  of  Payne-­‐ScoS  awards  –  removing  cultural  barriers,  and  building  greater  trust  and  respect  for  women  within  the  organisa=on  

–  repor=ng  publicly  on  gender  par=cipa=on.  

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The  Australian  Technology  Network  of  UniversiNes  commi?ed  to:  

•  review  performance  targets  and  =me  frames  for  the  number  of  female  academics  employed  at  all  levels  in  science,  technology,  and  engineering  (STE),  so  as  to  – meet  or  exceed  the  propor=on  of  women  employed  across  STE  industries  na=onally.  

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The  Bureau  of  Meteorology  commi?ed  to:  

•  improve  childcare  and  parent  resources  •  use  its  website—the  highest  visited  government  website—to  raise  awareness  of  gender  issues.  

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Science  &  Technology  Australia  commi?ed  to:  

•  work  with  scien=fic  socie=es  to  conduct  audits  of  prac=ces  with  a  view  to  increasing  the  par=cipa=on  of  women  through  best  prac=ce  

•  gather  examples  of  exis=ng  prac=ces,  programs  and  policies  which  have  been  successful  in  increasing  the  par=cipa=on  of  women  

•  develop  a  toolkit  to  guide  the  science  and  technology  sector.  

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Other  major  commitments:  

•  IBM,  a  significant  employer  of  scien=sts  and  technologists,  will  support  CSIRO’s  Science  in  Schools  program  

•  Australian  InsNtute  of  Marine  Sciences  commiSed  to  collec=ng  and  publishing  data  on  issues  rela=ng  to  childcare  in  rural  and  regional  Australia.  

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All  research  leaders  commi?ed  to:  

•  support  the  adop=on  the  UN  Women’s  Empowerment  Principles  in  their  home  organisa=ons.  

 

All  parNcipants  commi?ed  to:  •  meet  again  to  review  progress  

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The  WiSE  tool  kit  will  include:  

•  a  best-­‐prac=ce  guide  for  managers  •  a  prac=cal  career  guide  for  female  scien=sts  and  engineers  

•  a  guide  to  resources  for  encouraging  school  and  ter=ary  students  to  stay  in  science  and  engineering.  

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Further  informaNon  

www.wise-­‐summit.org    

Anna-­‐Maria  Arabia  www.sta.org.au  

   

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