#GAReads | Empowering gender diversity in science
photo credit: Christina @ wocintechchat.com, via Unsplash
“Empowering gender diversity in science”:
When the NASA Rover Perseverance landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, the face of the landing was Indian engineer Dr. Swati Mohan. Along with the accolades, part of the spotlight fell on NASA’s noteworthy efforts to build gender diversity and inclusion in science. After all, there is something poetic about gender equality steering Perseverance.
But the very fact that the event had such symbolic value for women indicates the clear and urgent need to combat underrepresentation across science, technology, engineering and maths — collectively known as STEM — industries, in India and globally, particularly at advanced career levels.