Since 2015, February 11 has been declared by the United Nations as International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
To “create full and equal access and participation for women in girls in science”, today we celebrate talented women in science to also inspire the future generation of girls in science.
For GRDC to deliver world-class grains research, development and extension (RD&E), we need to attract and nurture requisite talent. We achieve this through our Grains RD&E Capacity & Ability Framework. Our November-December 2021 GroundCover Supplement celebrated a selection of talented young scientists in whom GRDC invests.
Read about some of the incredible women who are not only making a difference in science, but the grains industry globally.
Mrs Virginia Wainaina Mwape, who hails from Kenya, has developed genetic and pathology skills to support improved management of Sclerotinia stem rot through a GRDC-supported capacity-building project at Curtin Centre for Crop and Disease Management at Curtin University. Read Role models nurture plant pathology skills.
Dr Barsha Poudel, originally from Nepal, from the University of Southern Queensland has discovered new knowledge to inform the management of charcoal rot in summer crops. Read Discovery opens new front on charcoal rot research.
Plant pathologist Dr Sarah Rich, from CSIRO, is fascinated by the complexity of farming systems. As part of her GRDC-supported postdoctoral project, she’s determining how frequently sowing opportunities could occur and how deep sowing could help plant species, in particular high-value pulses, chase water. Read Pulse establishment under investigation.
Dr Sarah Rich, CSIRO, excavating whole six-week-old lentil seedlings – shoots and root systems – across various depth-of-sowing treatments to assess them for biomass accumulation and growth as part of a GRDC capacity-building project. Photo: Andrew Toovey, CSIRO
For Dr Camilla Hill at Murdoch University, who originally hails from Germany, it was her childhood interest that inspired her to study biology. She then took a major in plant genetics and minors in plant physiology, molecular biology and biochemistry. Read Genetic solution to barley heat stress.
Read the November-December 2021 GroundCover Supplement for more stories about women in science.
More information: Our grain industry’s talent quest; International Day of Women and Girls in Science.