National Women’s History Month
National Women’s History Month
From the office of the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, College of the Environment
Dear College of the Environment Community,
I hope the end of the Winter Quarter is going well for everyone. This month I wanted to highlight that we are observing National Women’s History Month, a time when we celebrate the accomplishments of women who have made an impact throughout history and continue to do so today.
As we observe this month, we should also take time to acknowledge the contributions of women across the environmental sciences. From the groundbreaking work of Marie Tharp that illuminated the topographical complexity of the ocean floor, to more recent work by Asmeret Asefaw Berhe that has improved our understanding of how climate change can impact soil processes that are critical to the functioning of Earth’s ecosystems, women are leading the way in expanding our understanding of our planet. Women also sit in important leadership positions in the National Academy of Sciences and international scientific societies such as the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO).
Despite their substantial contributions to science, women remain underrepresented within the STEM workforce, especially in leadership positions. A recent NSF report details that, despite women receiving half of all science and engineering bachelor’s and associate’s degrees, they only represent 35% of the STEM workforce, with their wages consistently lower than men’s. It’s clear that there is still much work to be done to improve these numbers.
Today we see programs that are aiming to improve the inclusion, retention, and advancement of women in STEM. The NSF-funded ADVANCE Geo Partnership is helping to promote the advancement of women in geoscience careers, especially within the professoriate. Affinity groups such as the Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN), the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) and the Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS) are helping to elevate the contributions that women have and continue to make across these fields. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science provides an occasion to not only highlight the contributions of women in science, but to also support the inclusion and advancement of the next generation of women in STEM.
National Women’s History Month provides an excellent opportunity to learn more about those who are advancing STEM and working to make it a more inclusive space. This month I invite you to learn more about and connect with:
ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change, University of Washington
Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG)
Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN)
Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention (MPOWIR)
Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS)
As always, our office is available to share resources and make connections with individuals and organizations that are working to improve the inclusion and advancement of women in STEM.