On Friday, April 4 at 5 p.m., the Science Department at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics will host a panel discussion, Lean In, Women in Science. The event is free and open to the public as part of the North Carolina Science Festival.
The panel will present six women who serve as role models for girls in science.
· Oya Bermek – Researcher at Lineberger Cancer Center, UNC, and mountaineer.
· Clare Fieseler – Co-Founder, Scientists with Stories and Ph.D candidate in the Curriculum for the Env. & Ecology, UNC.
· Laura Guogas – Technology Transfer Project Leader, Biogen Idec and fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis research.
· Karen LeVert – CEO and Co-Founder, Southeast TechInventures and former CED NC Entrepreneur of the Year.
· Audrey Lynn Shaw – . Director, Clinical Research, Entera Health, and 4 New Drug Approvals at Salix Pharmaceuticals.
· Karyn Traphagen – Executive Director, ScienceOnline and Maker of a 3D printed mechanically-enhanced hand.
In October 2013, the NCSSM dean of science, Amy Sheck was interviewed for an article in the Triangle Business Journal about girls in science. At the school, the population is 50 percent women so it’s fairly normal for Dr. Sheck to think about women in science.
But it’s after they leave the level-playing field of NCSMS that got Dr. Sheck thinking. She saw Sheryl Sandberg’s TED Talk and read her book Lean In. She found that the two things came together to present a compelling case on addressing the declining number of women in science as they get older.
In the book, A Place at the Bench: Women in Biomedical Research, author Marla Broadfoot states “…the number of women in the profession does matter, not just in terms of equity, but also because they serve to recruit-and retain-budding female scientists.”
There is a limited seating dinner following the panel at 6 p.m. For more information about the event and to sign up for the dinner, go to www.ncssm.edu/science.