Inspiring Women Interviews

On International's Women's Day 2012, WITS launched their "Inspiring Women Interviews" video at the European Parliament office in Dublin.

In the video, aimed at 16+ year olds, five leading women in technology and science encouraging young students to ‘walk in their stilettos’ and see what a modern day scientific career is really like. Each of the women share insights to their careers, which vary from evolutionary genetics, marine engineering and pharmaceutical research, as well as challenge the gender stereotype of a scientist being ‘a man in a white coat working in a lab’.

The five women shared their inspiring stories and thoughts in a revealing set of interviews with students of the Lycee Francais d’Irlande and St. Kilian’s Deutsche Schule, with the aim of showcasing the variety of career opportunities for science graduates and what life as a female scientist is really like.

Participants include Professor Dervilla Donnelly, a retired research chemist instrumental in the establishment of the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland and most recent winner of the WITS Lifetime Achievement Award, leading researcher in evolutionary genetics at TCD Dr Aoife McLysaght and Lt Cmdr Niamh Ní Fhátharta, a marine engineer with the Irish Navy.

Speaking at the launch of the film, Sadhbh McCarthy, Chairperson of WITS said: “Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) is crucial to the recovery of Ireland’s economy and there is ample opportunity for graduates of these subjects. A lack of diversity in any industry will hamper innovation and advancement so challenging the stereotypes and narrow notions of what a scientist is and what scientific research actually involves is therefore essential."

“Opportunities in science are constantly evolving and there are many Irish people at the forefront of these exciting developments. As Aoife put it in the film we have launched today, ‘your future career might not even exist today’, highlighting the pace at which these industries move. I hope that this film will inspire more girls to view a career in STEM as a fulfilling and exciting one worth considering.”