Celebrating International Women’s Day: Women in Science Panel
Shaping a more inclusive future in science is no easy thing – but that doesn’t make it less important. To spark conversations and celebrate International Women’s Day, several female associations and diversity groups at ETH hosted a panel where women in science shared their perspectives.
On Wednesday evening, 5 March, a group of people filled a lecture hall at ETH’s main campus to hear about the experiences of female scientists. In front of the room were four professors from various fields, ranging from work and organisational psychology to chemistry and applied biosciences. Moderated by Dr Carla Fernández-Rico, the conversation between them covered topics from the challenges they faced to the role models who inspired them, how they entered their respective fields, and the pieces of advice they can offer. The panel featured:
- Professor Gudela Grote, Full Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics
- Professor Elizabeth Tilly, Associate Professor and Chair of Global Health Engineering at the Mechanical and Process Engineering Department
- Professor Ruth Signorell, Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences and Deputy Head of the Laboratory of Physical Chemistry
- Professor Niao He, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, leading the Optimization & Decision Intelligence Group
One of the things that stood out during the evening was how openly and honestly the four panellists spoke about their experiences. Their personal stories provided valuable perspectives on inclusivity, the evolution of diversity, and the role of women in shaping the future of science. And while sometimes a panel ends with cricket sounds and no questions asked, this panel resulted in enough questions from the audience to make time run out.
Luckily, it was followed by an apéro, offering a chance to continue the conversation and network with others from various disciplines. In honour of International Women’s Day, the event contributed to ongoing efforts for a more inclusive future in science.
This event was organised by six dedicated associations: feMTEC, CSNOW, WiNS, SWiSH, WIDE, and LIMES, with support from ETH Diversity and AVETH. A heartfelt thanks goes out to our panellists Professor Gudela Grote, Professor Elizabeth Tilly, Professor Ruth Signorell, and Professor Niao He, and to moderator Dr Carla Fernández-Rico.