Thursday 11th February marks the 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Over the last year, talking about ‘The Science’ has become part of our everyday life. Developments in technology have supported us living in a more isolated manner, while advancements in science have produced effective vaccines extraordinarily quickly to allow us to go back to a more normal way of life in (hopefully) the not too distant future. Without these developments we would be in a substantially worse position regarding the global pandemic. Women have played their role within this story, one notable example being Prof Sarah Gilbert who led the team at Oxford University that designed the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine, which is now being rolled out internationally.
For Merlin, another focus of discussion over the last year has been the energy transition. With the government launching their Energy White Paper in December, there is clear growth required in the energy sector in geothermal, renewables (including wind and solar), hydrogen, battery technology and Carbon Capture and Storage. Meanwhile, as these developments are taking place, hydrocarbons will continue to play a role over the coming decades.
All of the areas mentioned above (plus many more) require knowledge of STEM subjects, and our future depends on the development of these disciplines both by existing specialists and those yet to be found. Historically, it has been shown that there is a drop-off in girls studying STEM subjects over their schooling life. That is a pretty sad observation considering that the many top-class lady professionals in our industry show categorically that gender is irrelevant. So, it is vitally important to provide support and encouragement in the early years to allow girls to develop and thrive in these subjects before they are lost to the industry. Here at Merlin, Helen Bone, is keen to help provide that support and is both a STEM ambassador and a mentor for the PESGB.
Merlin’s own technical team is diverse, strong and well rounded, providing our clients with an exceptional standard of service. Indeed, one third are women and one of them is writing this article! Each individual is celebrated for bringing their own skill set, experience and personality to the team.
To find out more about the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, visit their website here.
