Editorial
This edition of the WISENet journal is an unashamed showcase of women researchers at the University of Wollongong and environs. We have included two sets of profiles, one of young women postgraduates launching their careers in science, and another of women researching at the frontiers of science. The second set was inspired by a seminar series held at the University over the last few years. The profiles show a diversity of research areas and a diversity of approaches, backgrounds and insights, as well as a lot of talent. We also include stories from other WISENet women, including our newest female Chemistry professor.
We also have a number of articles around the theme of plant taxonomy and ecology, almost by accident, but reflecting the important role that women have played in this area, historically one of the earliest fields of formal participation of women in science. Articles detail the work of the Janet Cosh Herbarium at UoW, coastal restoration work on the South Coast, and the biography of a pioneering naturalist, Marie Elisabeth Thomann-Becker.
While the stories in this edition paint a bright picture of women in science, there is a shadowy side of Australian science careers and the changing climate of academic research, a side we should not ignore. We include an article by Shelly McCrae, who, nearing the end of her PhD, describes the difficulties and dilemmas of advancing a career in science in Australia. Shelly’s comments surely are a sad reflection of the dilemmas for young scientists today, particularly women. There is no doubt that HECS has added considerably to these dilemmas, and I feel very fortunate to have made it through before HECS introduced a ‘user-pays’ system to the development of the nation’s intellectual capital.
I also feel that the problems Shelly describes are heightened by the research funding environment, which is characterised not so much by less funding, but by funding for fewer researchers. In the age of ‘Big Science’ and of ‘the Matthew effect’ in which ‘those who hath shall get’, resourcing is consolidated into area of existing research strength, leaving those at the margins unable to stay in the race. Unfortunately, it is still the case that women are often at the margins. There they have traditionally played important roles, challenging the status quo, forging new directions and bridging disciplinary areas. The loss of bright young women like Shelly from science is not simply a personal loss, but a societal one. This highlights the responsibility of WISENet, in encouraging women into science, to also continue its lobbying efforts to improve the lot of young researchers in Australia and to call for an adequate level of funding for Australian research.
Wendy Russell