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Snakes & Ladders
Profiles of Women in Science and Stories of the Snakes and
Ladders They Have Faced in Their Careers
Interviews with Australian Scientists
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Australian scientists have had an impact in science locally and internationally since the early days of this nation. But scientists suffer from poor public perception, one dominated by images of men in white lab coats working away till the wee hours on an obscure project.
To challenge the poor public perception and recognise the contributions of
outstanding Australian scientists, the Australian Academy of Science, in 1993,
established the Interviews with Australian Scientists project. An important
direction for the project is to interview women across the scientific
disciplines; from the more senior researchers to those just starting out. To
date, 36 of the 87 transcripts available on the Interviews website are of women.
The
website was recently updated and now has a list of scientists by specialty,
which includes a special group for women in science. In the interviews, the
women talk about their early life, inspirations, mentors and research, but they
also talk about issues faced by women in science: juggling family and career,
and the difficulties (and rare advantages) of working in a male dominated
environment.
But, the interviews are mostly about the science and the scientists’ passion for
what they do: solving problems, the joy of discovery and the thrill of
contributing new knowledge. Leanne Armand, a marine micropalaeontologist
interviewed in 2001, put this beautifully when she said:
For me the exciting part is the thrill of the find. There’s always something new
turning up, there’s always something fantastic for me to look at under the
microscope. I get a thrill every day…You’re always looking for your favourite
one, or saying, ‘Ooh, look! There’s something new!’ … And finding an answer to
something that you may have spent months or years studying is a fantastic and
rewarding focus of your work, as is being able to contribute to solving a
greater problem.
The Interviews with Australian Scientists project can be found on the Academy’s
website at www.science.org.au/scientists.
www.science.org.au/scientists
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