By Amaku Nancy Chioma, SWMS @ FUTA
I used to think that we needed to get more young girls interested in science but I see now that that was never the problem. We are here, we love science. The problem is creating an environment where we are supported, recognized, and rewarded for our work. – Lauren M. Seyler, Ph.D
At my university, the Federal University of Technology Akure, in Nigeria, we currently have 19 smart women and over 220 men studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and Technology.
Beyond the observed gender disparity, there is a quiet, almost unnoticeable challenge that my fellow young women and I face: our education and career-decision space is usually difficult to navigate. The limited diversity and support in our degree program has a real connection to why some of us, especially female students, often feel uninspired to push through anything we put our mind to, to have lofty goals, and not settle for less in the marine science field. We needed a platform to be recognized, heard and engaged.
So when my friend and faculty mate, Oghenechovwen Oghenekevwe, returned from the 2018 Ocean Sciences Meeting and told us about SWMS, we knew we had found that desired platform. He shared the SWMS website with us, and we were excited that we could start a chapter here in Nigeria. At last, we get to have and join a society that does not only support women in marine science, but also provides opportunities for our voices and work to be promoted and reflected upon in conversations on new horizons of scientific knowledge.
Reviewing the challenges we face has allowed us to put words to the vision that has always lived in the hearts of fellow future-oriented ladies. Our mission is to foster communication and inspire breakthroughs in the way Nigeria treats women in the marine science community and create immediate and lasting change in their lives.
Our mission is to foster communication and inspire breakthroughs in the way Nigeria treats women in the marine science community and create immediate and lasting change in their lives.
Our SWMS chapter will inspire lifelong learning, advance knowledge production, drive capacity development through workshops and public debates, as well as strengthen the Nigerian community by collaboratively addressing women issues in marine science.
As the first SWMS chapter outside of the US, we are also keen on spreading the vision of SWMS to women and men, regardless of academic and career level, in marine science across other Nigerian institutions – step by step, and with the help of our faculty advisors.
Let’s do it, SWMS!
Amaku Nancy Chioma is one founders of the Federal University of Technology Akure chapter of the Society for Women in Marine Science. You can contact her via email.