Searching to increase the diversity in Australian Physics: a report and reflections on the International Conference on Women in Physics
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Date
2014-08-01
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Australian Institute of Physics
Abstract
At the opening reception, as the crowd gathered, we saw a range in age and country of origin; mostly homogeneous in gender (handful of the opposite sex). Then the conference chair, Prof Shohini Ghose, stepped up to speak and exclaimed “so that’s what it feels like to be a man!” It was the strangest feeling, being in a plenary physics lecture hearing about the discovery of new subatomic particles by Melissa Franklin, Mallinckrodt Professor and Chair of Physics, Harvard University, and realising that the audience was about 95% female. This was because we attended the 5th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics, on 5-8 August 2014, at the Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada as the Australian delegation. This was the fifth time that IUPAP sponsored this unique conference that brought together delegates from 50 countries around the world to showcase and celebrate scientific work in all areas of physics, develop resolutions to address gender issues and promote the participation of women in physics and provide networking opportunities to build a strong, diverse and inclusive worldwide physics community. Some of the countries are only just introducing physics into their universities. For some of the women, this is the only conference they can attend as their culture forbids them to engage with men. © 2014 Australian Institute of Physics Inc.
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Keywords
Females, Physics, Meetings, Scientific personnel, Productivity, Attitudes
Citation
Maynard-Casely, H. E., Wegener, M. & Foley, C, (2014). Searching to increase the diversity in Australian Physics: a report and reflections on the International Conference on Women in Physics. Australian Physics, 51(5), 162-164. Retrieved from: https://physics.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Australian%20Physics/Aust%20Phys%2051-5.pdf