5 Remarkable Women of STELAR Discuss Challenges in STEM
As previously announced, STELAR devoted the entire month of February 2024 to honouring the supreme contributions of women within our project. With this in mind, we interviewed 5 women from the STELAR consortium who shared their perspectives on the position of female scientists in the STEM field.
In the upcoming blog, explore Silke’s, Maria-Eleni’s, Rachana’s, Vasiliki and Eirini’s roles and motivations, as they provide a glimpse into the spark that led them to STEM and the challenges they faced.
What Women of STELAR Love About Their Work
A profound passion for analysis, research, predictions, and problem-solving emerged as a common thread among our remarkable colleagues when they discussed the most enjoyable aspects of their work. Maria-Eleni Dimitrakopoulou is a Research Project Manager at Agroknow, the lead partner for our crucial Pilot A on predicting food risk. When asked what her main drive at work was, Maria-Eleni stated: “Research allows me to explore, investigate, and uncover new knowledge and insights in my field. There’s a profound sense of curiosity and excitement that comes with delving into uncharted territories, seeking answers to complex questions, and making discoveries that can have a real impact.”
The roles that these women in smart agriculture occupy enable them to pursue their mission of discovering solutions to a myriad of problems, thereby pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge. Through their efforts, they aim to contribute to a better future and leave the world a slightly better place than it was. Silke Migdall is the Managing Director at the female-led VISTA which takes charge of STELAR’s progressive Pilot B focusing on early crop growth prediction. She summarised: “I really want to make sure that we leave the right tools to the next generation so that they can deal with the challenges to come.”
What Motivates These Female Scientists to Achieve Their Mission?
Coming from diverse backgrounds and expertise, whether in fields such as food safety, public health protection, or computer science and mathematics, our female scientists share a common belief in the significance of their fields in improving the quality of life for individuals and communities.
For instance, Silke emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary expertise that enables a holistic approach to challenges. As she expressed: “What fascinated me about that is how integrative the field is -and of course seeing our planet from above is also quite beautiful. From above, you can identify many different features – forests, cities, lakes, fields, even the crops grown on those fields and whether they need more water or more nutrients, but you also always see how close together they are. Many separations and borders that humans have decided upon are not visible. The world we live in is intricately interwoven and you need to take into account all of its aspects to manage it in a sustainable way.”
Eirini Ntoutsi, a Full Professor of Open Source Intelligence at Bundeswehr University Munich, and a member of STELAR consortium, echoed Silke’s sentiment by stating her main motivation: “The creativity and the opportunity to work on diverse problems with people from various disciplines.”
“I really want to make sure that we leave the right tools to the next generation so that they can deal with the challenges to come.” – Silke Migdall, Managing Director at VISTA
Women of STELAR Reflect on Challenges in Science
STELAR’s campaign also tackled challenges these women encountered in this field which has historically sidelined women and reduced their contributions. Among the common challenges these female scientists encountered were:
- Implicit biases affecting decisions related to hiring, promotions, and opportunities.
- Unconscious gender bias and perception
- Typical stereotypes
- Lack of representation including role models.
Despite individual experiences varying, the gender gap in STEM remains evident. The statistics presented in our blog underscore this ongoing issue, which our interviews with women in the field confirmed. For instance, Vasiliki Pitsilou, a Research Assistant at Athena Research Center which coordinates the STELAR project, shared her perspective: “So far, I have never encountered significant challenges or discrimination in the scientific world because of my gender. Nevertheless, it is true that women are a minority and that may feel a little odd sometimes.”
Furthermore, VISTA’s Silke noted a positive trend in the reduction of prejudices against women in science. She observed a noticeable shift towards greater gender balance in scientific conferences and project teams, even within a typically male-dominated field like agriculture. However, she confirmed: “Women are often still in the minority in the room and it helps to be tall and assertive – and of course to know what you’re talking about.”
Strategies for Overcoming Challenges for Women in STEM
Besides identifying challenges, our female interviewees offered insightful ideas for practical solutions. Based on their experience, they’ve said:
“To overcome them, have attended mentorship programs and increased networking” – Rachana Desai, Senior Data Scientist
“I suppose that this can be overcome by focusing on science and working with people that make everyone feel accepted.” – Vasiliki Pitsilou, Research Assistant
“This includes making sure that having a family and a career are not mutually exclusive. It is my firm belief that bringing together many different perspectives and individual strengths is the best way to solve the complex challenges of our time.” – Silke Migdall, Managing Director
“Overcoming this challenge involves raising awareness of bias, implementing fair evaluation processes, and promoting diversity and inclusion.” – Maria-Eleni Dimitrakopoulou, Research Project Manager
STELAR Women's Advice to Their Younger Selves
The 5 women concluded their sentiments by responding to our final question: “If you could give a piece of advice to yourself as a little girl, what would you say to her?”
Here are their responses:
Eirini Ntoutsi, Full Professor
at Bundeswehr University Munich
"Reach what you cannot"
Rachana Desai, Senior Data Scientist
at Altair
"Do not give up!"
Vasiliki Pitsilou, Research Assistant
at Athena Research Center
"Go for the best and never be afraid!"
Silke Migdall,
Managing Director at VISTA
"You want to reach so many goals in life that it will be hard to accomplish them all. So prioritize what is the most important and start there. "
Maria-Eleni Dimitrakopoulou,
Research Project Manager at Agroknow
"Don't be afraid to dream big and pursue your passions with resilience. The world is full of possibilities, and you have the power to make a difference."
Conclusion
While raising awareness about problems is crucial, we attempted to go beyond that by offering ideas and suggestions aimed at achieving better balance in the scientific field and minimising the gender gap.
Stay informed about the latest STELAR project updates achieved by these women in smart agriculture and other STELAR partners by checking out our Blog and connecting with us on LinkedIn.
