150 female scientists at Insight Out
What are the ingredients for a successful career in the natural sciences?
On Tuesday 24 May 150 female scientists invited by NWO came together for the conference Insight Out to exchange experiences and to learn from experienced female scientists. FOM Communication Advisor Ans Hekkenberg chaired the day and physicist Tamalika Banerjee, ecologist Corina Brussaard, and engineer Gabby Kroes held inspiring presentations about their careers. The meeting was opened by FOM director Christa Hooijer.
In science, excellence is all too quickly associated with typically male characteristics. It often revolves around individual and demonstrable performances and less around team spirit or inspiring future generations. The speakers, however, encouraged their younger colleagues to find a niche in their discipline and to seize the initiative within this. Overcome your uncertainty, make sure you are seen and grab every chance you get was their advice.
There was praise for events like Girls Day, an initiative of VHTO (National Expert Organisation on Girls/Women and Science/Technology) to enable girls to become familiar with science, engineering and ICT at a young age. Workshops were held during the afternoon part of the programme. Participants could participate in a session on writing a European research proposal, a session on making a business case or they could follow a media training. The visitors stated that Insight Out was a successful event during which they obtained new insights and shared a lot of knowledge and experiences with each other.