Monterey Bay is a unique location found on the central coast of California. This area is known for its abundant marine life and diverse habitats. Just a short boat ride out from the shallow and murky Elkhorn Slough and you’ll find yourself at the head of the Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon. The rich kelp forests are filled with all sorts of creatures and make for world-renowned dive sites. Not only is Monterey Bay a hotspot for marine life, but it is also a hub for numerous marine science institutions. As a graduate student at Moss Landing Marine Labs (MLML), I am very fortunate to live in such an extraordinary place.
Sunset overlooking Monterey Bay from MLML (photo by Kim Elson)
Students that enter the MLML program work towards a Masters of Science in Marine Science, focusing on a variety of biological and oceanographic disciplines. Once upon a time, MLML was a male-dominated school. The student body was comprised of around 80% men. Now, women represent that 80%, yet the faculty is only 20% female. When an e-mail popped into our inbox about the Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS), several of us MLML students were excited to create a chapter for the Monterey Bay area. Specifically, we wanted to address the obstacles and stereotypes that female scientists face.
Monterey Bay SWMS Planning Committee (photo by Maria Vila Dupla)
The Monterey Bay SWMS Chapter would like to create a welcoming community where everyone can work together to increase visibility of women and other under-represented groups in marine science. Our mission is to facilitate outreach to local schools, promote opportunities for mentorship, and to acknowledge and address the challenges women face in marine science.
Thinking back to my younger years, I wish that I had a mentor in the marine science field to help guide me. Wouldn’t it have been nice if I had the resources readily available to pursue marine science starting at an early age? Providing that type of mentorship to local students, and creating networking opportunities to early career scientists are extremely valuable components that I look forward to see flourish with the Monterey Bay SWMS Chapter.
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.
When my mentor gave me this great advice, she wasn’t recommending I take up skydiving — she was encouraging me to push beyond my comfort zone to grow personally and professionally.
Science conferences are great places to terrify yourself a little in the name of professional development. But you’ve got to have a plan to make the most of them. It’s too easy for introverts to tell themselves that browsing posters is the best use of their free time. Extroverts may tell themselves that working the room at happy hour is enough. A better way to make the most of a conference is to set personal challenge goals and develop a plan for before, during and after the conference. Even after almost two decades of science conferences, networking happy hours still terrify me, so I make myself attend at least one every meeting.
What’s your goal?
Before you even submit your abstract, think about how this conference fits in with your career development. Too often, we fall back on the basic, obvious answer: “I’m going to present my new research project.” While that’s a good reason to go, and will certainly justify spending grant money, think about why this conference is the best choice. Whom do you expect to see there? What do you want to learn? Work on some “SMART” goals for the meeting. Honing in on something specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound will take you from “I’m going to line up a postdoc” to something like, “I’m going to introduce myself to Dr. A and Dr. B and ask if we could write proposals together this fall that would provide me postdoc support in one of their labs by next July.”
Preparing to succeed
Preparing for the conference involves more than putting together (and practicing!) an awesome talk or poster. It’s more than remembering your lucky socks.
Photo credit: Maddie McKowan
Figure out who’s going to be there and make a wish list of presentations you want to see, and people you want to meet. Get in touch with key contacts ahead of the meeting and schedule a time to meet one-on-one. You’ll probably have to chase people down a little, and you might have to settle for a phone call after the meeting. Remember, they’re networking too.
Before you go, work with communications professionals at your institution before and during the conference to identify any press opportunities. Promote your presentation on social media and use the conference’s official hashtag so they can share your posts. This approach is particularly effective for Twitter but could also be effective for other platforms. Plan on attending side events hosted by your institution, professional groups or activities related to your expertise.
Wash your hands a lot in the week before the conference and during the event, too. Travel-wrecking viruses are real and vicious, and they will flatten you.
Putting your best foot forward
Consider yourself on the job the whole time you’re at the conference, even if your presentation is over. If you don’t know many people, find even one person who’s better connected than you and ask them to introduce you to some key people. Participate in, and take full advantage of, mentoring programs. Pass out your business card like confetti. Get others’ cards in return, and jot a note on the back about when/where you met them and what they’re interested in.
Treat every interaction you have as a “job talk”—you could be laying the foundation for future funding, inspiring a recent graduate or making a good impression on your next employer.
On appearances – present yourself in the way that you want to be perceived. First impressions are important so be deliberate in your choice of attire and accessories.
Panel discussion during the 2016 Symposium. Image credit: Julie van der Hoop.
Cultivate your online impression by reminding people to attend your presentation on social media. Be an active participant in the social media conversation during the meeting as best you can. Use pictures and video to increase shares and likes. Ask a colleague or friend to live-tweet your talk. Consider including your social media handle on your materials with your contact information. Participate in the social media conversation around the meeting beyond your own presentation.
Building on success
When you get home, you’re not quite done. Go back to the SMART goals you wrote down before the meeting, and note your progress. Take the next step towards achieving those goals, or set new ones. Think about what was terrifying before the conference that seems easier now, and where you still need to challenge yourself next time. Write it all down – by the next conference, you’ll be able to look back and see how far you’ve come.
Follow up with the people you met, even just by sending a quick one-line “nice to have met you” email or an invitation to connect on social media that reminds them who you are. Pass along contacts you made that could help out other colleagues. Thank the session or conference organizer for having you, and offer to make your materials publicly available.
Put any big lessons learned into a personal blog post or offer it as a guest post for an organization (like SWMS!). Update your peers and colleagues, and spend a little focused time thinking about how you’ll use your new knowledge and ideas. After all that, you can really put your feet up—you will have made the absolute most of this opportunity.
A big thank you is in order to Trishna Gurung, Michelle Frey, and Amanda Creekmore at Ocean Conservancy, who recently compiled many of these ideas for an internal memo. That list, plus some of my own experiences, brought you this blog post today.
Sarah Cooley, Ph.D. is the director of Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Acidification Program. Before that, she was a research scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She’s attended and hosted countless big and small conferences, learning something new about the process each time.
Swimming Lessons is a spinoff of Six Questions with SWMS, a series of interviews with women across marine science with a wide range of career paths, degrees, and experiences.
By Gabi Serrato Marks
Between preparing to defend her master’s thesis, giving award-winning public lectures, and making accurate illustrations of oysters, Lauren Huey is certainly busy. When I found out that she was the artist behind the CERF 2017 Snapchat geofilter, I reached out to her about her art, research, and career plans.
Huey is a master’s candidate and self-described “oyster enthusiast” at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). She uses her scientific knowledge to inform her art, which often focuses on marine life. She received a Virginia Sea Grant graduate research fellowship that funds her research, stipend, and tuition. The fellowship also required her to have an outreach plan, which worked well with her art interests. She decided to make infographics and digital images of different species and put them into a free image library. “I am lucky that I am in a program that encourages me to do art as well as science,” Lauren told me. “My advisor knows that I have to be making these infographics, and when I give talks or design posters, I am able to use a lot of things I made.”
She also does some freelance illustration for other scientists’ research. “The biggest need that I have seen is for illustrations of a specific species. In scientific work, [the illustration] isn’t just a shrimp or a crab, it is a specific species that needs to look accurate.” That’s where Huey’s research skills come in handy, but she didn’t always want to focus on marine life. She started her undergraduate career as an animal science major, not a marine scientist.
“My family enjoys the ocean and I spent a lot of time on the beach as a kid. My older sister majored in marine biology, but I wanted to do something different than her,” she said. She couldn’t stay away from marine science for long, and she ended up changing her major to marine biology. When she immersed herself in marine biology, she received some push back. “A lot of people told me it wasn’t the best way to get a job, and I wouldn’t make a lot of money. But ultimately, I was more passionate about marine biology than animal science.”
That passion shows in her willingness to participate in tons of outreach activities, both online and in person. “One of the things I was most excited about this past year is that I got tweeted at in French, which meant that I was reaching people in other countries, to the point where I had to use google translate to communicate!” Huey likes using her illustrations to connect with people, especially because art is a universal language. She hosts events where kids color in barnacles and crabs to teach them about the habitats that oysters provide.
Events like those have made her want to pursue a career in science communication, not research. “My ultimate goal is to change the way that scientists interact with the public. I want to help shatter the “egghead” stereotype about us,” she told me. She wants to find a career that allows her to give scientists the tools we need to get our points across. “The research we do is so important, but it can be hard to communicate it.”
Huey’s illustrations are both accurate and beautiful, so chances are high that you will be seeing them in upcoming research papers, posters, and activities!
Six Questions with SWMS is a series of interviews with women across marine science with a wide range of career paths, degrees, and experiences.
Meghan Donohue (image credit: WHOI)
What is your current job, and how did you end up there?
I am a Senior Engineering Assistant at WHOI for the Mooring Operations and Engineering Group. After I graduated with a degree in Marine Science Physics and a USCG Mate’s license so I could work as crew on research vessels, I ended up working for Scripps Institution of Oceanography as a Restech. A restech is basically a shipboard technician who manages the deck, the equipment, the shipboard labs, the shipboard computer programs, and is the logistics coordinator. While I was doing that, I was feeling out what I wanted to specialize in. I really liked doing mooring work, so I made connections with the head of the Mooring Group at WHOI and I became lucky when a job opening came up in this group.
What is your favorite thing about marine science, or your research field more specifically?
My favorite thing is going out to sea and doing field research. There is nothing greater than being on the back deck of a ship working with a team of people all focused on achieving the same thing… using the tools of the trade to acquire data for the scientists to better understand and increase the knowledge of the world regarding our oceans and planet.
What is your greatest professional/educational accomplishment?
My greatest educational accomplishment is realizing you don’t need a master’s degree or a PhD to do what you love. It took me many many years to figure that out since I was trained as an undergrad to continue my oceanographic education and expected to pursue a PhD. The knowledge that I have now is not taught in any master’s or PhD program, which is a shame because there needs to be a greater focus on the technology of oceanography.
My greatest professional accomplishment has been working with undergrads, grad students, and post-docs from around the world, teaching them how to acquire data and the realities of working in oceanography and providing them with whatever resources they may need. Seeing them get inspired and watching them grow after I have worked with them is amazing.
What are your goals for the next six years?
My goals are always evolving and currently I haven’t figured out what my new work goals are. Everything for me right now is focused on figuring out how to manage being a seagoing mother with very young children. A feat on its own when you are shoreside and an incredible logistics and emotional challenge for the parents and children when you are seagoing.
Megan Donohue (image credit: WHOI)
What advice would you give the six-years-ago version of yourself?
I guess I’m still following the same advice: tough it out and focus on what you enjoy the most… There are always s**t parts to every job and to every company.
Our theme for our 4th annual fall symposium was “Swimming in Confidence: Declaring your Scientific Authority.” How do you increase your self-confidence?
Self Confidence is tricky. After being in the business for 20 years (eek, I’m old), you learn that self-confidence will ebb and flow. It is okay for it to fluctuate. Sometimes little things will give you a huge boost and sometimes something minor will knock you down for a while. Try to stay focused on your goals and when you’re feeling low take a step back and try looking at your career/life from a different perspective. Think about how far you have come from when you first started in the field.
Remember: you don’t have to be perfect at what you do. It is okay to have a shaky/quivering voice when you are speaking in front of a group, it is okay to be embarrassed in front of co-workers… Don’t compare yourself to others, you don’t know their whole story even if they are your work BFF. Everyone has a unique skill set with some overlapping qualities, just always be you and you will thrive!
Written by Lauren Salisbury, Senior Marine Biology Major at URI
Meet Emily McDermith, a rising URI sophomore, SWMS member, and aspiring optometrist. Although she seems like an unlikely member of the Society for Women in Marine Science, McDermith has proven to be one of the most involved and committed members.
Growing up in Maine, she spent her summers on the islands of Portland. There, she says she “developed an appreciation and fascination for marine life”. Although she is a Cell and Molecular Biology major on the Microbiology track, McDermith still fulfills her passion for the ocean other ways.
Emily McDermith presenting her poster at the NSF EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Symposium
Emily was introduced to marine science during the second semester of her freshman year when she began working in Dr. Bethany Jenkins’ microbiology lab. Here, Emily saw an opportunity to further explore the issues that affect the ocean. This led her to apply for the NSF EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), which she was awarded. This summer, Emily worked with URI SWMS co-president, Alexa Sterling, and Dr. Bethany Jenkins investigating a possible mutualism between Antarctic phytoplankton and bacteria in low-iron marine environments. She presented a poster of her findings at the 2017 SURF conference.
Emily enjoyed her summer fellowship and said “Having the opportunity to solely focus on research this summer I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned. Being able to solve problems that arose and design my own experiments has taught me to think like a scientist. I’ve learned the importance collaborating with lab mates, especially when obstacles cropped up, and time management in the lab.”
McDermith plans to continue to conduct research and says it has given her a unique perspective that has made her courses more interesting and meaningful. Emily advises other students to pursue research experiences outside of their major. McDermith states that “Being exposed to marine science has made me a more well-rounded scientist.” This balanced approach to her career goals will surely benefit Emily throughout her undergraduate career.
Even though Emily enjoys undergraduate research in marine science, her post-graduate aspirations are quite different.
“I hope to go onto optometry school.“ says McDermith, “Optometry is a career that I can use science to solve problems in order to help others. It’s more than just prescribing glasses and contacts; it’s a chance to give clarity.” When asked what advice she has for those wishing to switch disciplines, Emily had this to say; “Don’t be afraid to explore all of your passions and areas of interest. Exploring marine microbiology has made me a more versatile scientist and has allowed me to bring a different perspective to my major.”
This semester, Emily is looking forward meeting with the clubs she participates and getting back into her bacteria research. You can meet Emily at the 2017 November SWMS Symposium.
In this blog post, URI SWMS member Tejashree Modak shares her recent experience visiting Bridgewater State University and learning about teaching intensive institutions.
If teaching is your passion and especially if you are thinking of it as a career option, a question you should ask yourself is: What type of teaching am I passionate about? I realized it more than ever before when I visited Bridgewater State University this past March.
It all started when I got an email about the workshop ‘Teaching in Teaching Intensive Institutions’ organized at UMass Boston. I signed up since I was interested in teaching and wanted to make use of the resources it offered. At the workshop we met a variety of professionals from different institutions, in different phases of their career from new faculty to deans, the whole spread! At the workshop, I met a lot of people from Bridgewater State University (BSU). Dr. Martina Arndt, Professor in the BSU Physics Department shared her story of how she got to her current position in one of the sessions. That got me thinking that I really don’t know what being a professor in a teaching intensive institution entails! Teaching intensive positions have a higher teaching load than research based universities but research is also a part of the expectations from tenure track positions. However, the important difference is that often student participation in research is undergraduate only. I have always been a student in a research university so I know very little about this part of the world. I got in touch with BSU to see if I could visit to get a feel of their institution. The Dean of Bartlett College of Science and Mathematics, Dr. Kristen Porter-Utley, hosted URI students that shared my curiosity for a full day at BSU!
Rhody Rams Visit Bridgewater Bears
Six graduate students from different departments at URI spent morning to afternoon at BSU on March 31, 2017. BSU is located in Bridgewater, MA with a large beautiful campus. We checked in at the Dean’s office at 9:00am. We were given class schedules of courses taught in our field if we wanted to sit in a lecture. I got a revision of meiosis taught by Dr. Jeff Bowen to a class of very well attentive students. I was blown away by how engaged the students were and asked such good questions! After the lecture we were led to a conference room and Dr. Porter-Utley along with Dr. Bowen and a new faculty in geology, Dr. Christine Brandon talked about BSU, their experiences and career at BSU. Dean Porter-Utley also gave us a gist about the hiring process, course load and overall responsibilities of a professor at BSU. She encouraged applicants to thoroughly research the institution before applying for open positions and to let that research show through the application. She pointed out that this tells the hiring committee you spent time and tailored your application for the position. She said, “The worst mistake you can make is to show up for an interview without knowing enough about the institution you are applying to.” She says it is very evident and reflects badly on your candidacy for the job. Make a note everyone! Dr. Brandon is a new faculty and Dr. Bowen has been at BSU for several years so we got to hear from two people at very different stages of their career, about their role and experiences at BSU.
Next we split up into our fields of interest and met with faculty that teach in our field. I was in the biology group and met with Dr. Merideth Krevosky, Dr. Kenneth Adams and Dr. Joseph Seggio. Apart from sharing their journey and experiences at BSU, they also gave us some very good advice and shared helpful resources for grants and career decisions. One important advice was that when you apply to undergraduate institutions it is very important to tailor your research questions such that the experiments can be conducted by undergraduate students, be done with smaller grants and shared resources. This is quite a different thought process than what we are used to in graduate programs at URI. Start practicing your research statements if this is your career choice!
We got so wrapped up into the discussion we didn’t even realize it was time for lunch! We all walked to the fancy BSU dining hall and enjoyed a delicious buffet over more conversation with Dr. Arndt, Dr. Krevosky and Dr. Brandon. We got many pointers and really good advice from all of them. Unanimously all of them pointed out that building and maintaining collaborations with other research institutions was critical for their research. Many of these collaborations started in graduate school. So as graduate students it is important for us to start building that network sooner than later!
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
The day was wrapped up by a tour of the Dana Mohler-Faria Science and Mathematics Center. Dr. Krevosky gave me a tour of the classrooms and research labs. The research space was immaculate and shared between faculty members where undergraduate students perform experiments. They also write research and travel grants with their professors. Early scientists in the making for sure! It was very cool to see entire research run by undergrads! I wrote my first publication as an undergrad so it felt even more heartwarming to see enthusiastic students finding time from courses to work in the lab!
Thank You, Bridgewater
Each person I met had a different story of how they reached their current position. Some landed there by chance, some had always planned to teach in teaching intensive institution and some tested out the research universities and then came to BSU. But one thing was very evident in all of them: they love what they are doing right now! They love being a part of BSU. That sends a clear message: you are not limited to academic positions in research universities if you want to stay in academics after your PhD.
All in all it was a very resourceful and enlightening experience to visit BSU. It gave us all the tools to think about teaching as a career option and whether a career at a teaching intensive institution is a viable one for us. I along with everyone who attended the event would like to sincerely thank BSU for the gracious and warm invitation to URI graduate students and for such a thoughtfully organized event! Along with everything else, I found several women role models who are so good at their jobs and provide inspiration to other women who want to pursue a career in science!!
Tejashree Modak, URI PhD Candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology
University of Rhode Island (URI) PhD students, Alexa Sterling and Jillian Freese, felt empowered by the vast network of women they met at the 2015 and 2016 SWMS Symposia.
“I heard candid stories from women who broke boundaries in marine science about the sometimes circuitous paths they took from graduate school to their current position,” says Freese, co-president of SWMS at URI. While women in marine science are more abundant than ever at the student and trainee level, lead scientist and professor roles are still overwhelmingly male-dominated.
“I wanted to help build the sort of supportive community I saw at the SWMS symposium here at URI,” says Freese. It didn’t take long for Sterling and Freese to mobilize an ambitious group of women in marine science in their own community.
At the first SWMS meeting held last December at URI, more than 20 women (including graduate students, undergraduates, faculty and staff) shared their ideas and enthusiasm for the future of SWMS. “We are really excited for the momentum the group has picked up so quickly,” says Sterling, co-president of SWMS at URI.
As of today, the group has already established several committees focused on what members are most passionate about: mentoring, outreach, professional development, and science communication.
Not wasting any time, SWMS planned several professional development workshops and outreach events at URI. This month, SWMS will host a panel of five women across government, academia, and science communication career paths to discuss their experience and insights. The outreach committee has designed hands-on activities for the local SMILE (Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences) Forth Grade Ecology Field Day in April. In hopes to foster an interest in marine science, SWMS will lead activities including bird stomach dissections and plankton identification.
Unique Opportunity for Undergraduate Engagement
In March, SWMS kicked off its undergraduate-graduate mentoring program to foster supportive relationships among members. “I am so grateful for the graduate students who helped me when I was younger – this is our way of paying it forward,” says Sterling.
Both graduate students and undergraduates are looking forward to the social events and professional development opportunities promoted by the mentoring relationship. “At URI, we have the opportunity to actively include undergraduates in this organization,” says Freese. “We hope these mentoring relationships will encourage undergraduates to stay in science.”
Karla Haiat, an undergraduate double majoring in Marine Biology and Ocean Engineering, was thrilled to hear that SWMS was forming at URI. “SWMS has provided an open and safe environment where learning, networking and support between members is encouraged,” says Haiat. “As an undergraduate, there is nothing more valuable than having the support and friendship of more experienced scientists and peers that can understand the challenges of this field.”
URI Faculty Show Support for Women in STEM
Sterling and Freese acknowledge that URI faculty members, Dr. Bethany Jenkins, Dr. Jacqueline Webb, and Dr. David Smith, have played an integral role in the formation of SWMS at URI.
Through her work with RI Girl Scouts, Dr. Jenkins, Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology and Oceanography, has provided a unique platform for SWMS at URI to get involved in more outreach and communication with the broader community. Dr. Jenkins was one of three female URI professors to receive Antarctic cruise funding this season, and is regularly involved in outreach programs engaging young girls in science.
Dr. Webb, Marine Biology Program Coordinator and the George and Barbara Young Chair in Biology, is a mentor for numerous undergraduates in the Marine Biology program at URI. Naturally, Dr. Webb became an advocate for women to stay in scientific fields and she recently led a workshop for SWMS members on creating professional CV’s.
Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) at URI, Dr. David Smith, has not only helped jump start SWMS at URI, but has spoken on panels at the annual SWMS Symposia. Dr. Smith recently spoke to the chapter about the process of applying to graduate school. As a representative of the GSO, Dr. Smith has been key in motivating connectivity between the URI campus and GSO campus.
Faculty and student involvement in SWMS has fostered meaningful connections not only between URI’s main campus and Graduate School of Oceanography at the Narragansett Bay campus, but also throughout the wider community. “With a large group of marine science researchers, I felt that SWMS would allow us to focus on professional development and increase our opportunities for collaboration and public outreach,” says Freese.
Anyone involved in or interested in marine science is welcome to join SWMS – man or woman. Stay tuned for more exciting events coming up this semester at URI and profiles of our members in the near future.
Melissa Hoffman, Master’s Student in Biology & Environmental Science
