Tag: chapters

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Futures in the Field

On April 26th 2023, the Monterey Bay chapter of SWMS hosted a Preventing Sexual Harassment in Field Settings workshop with the non-profit, FieldFutures. FieldFutures aims to make fieldwork safe for everyone. The workshop focused on harassment prevention by discussing topics including how to identify, address and play a role in halting sexual harassment. Participants benefited from learning prevention strategies from the workshop facilitator, Alison Payne, while also partaking in group discussions to examine their roles in thwarting harassment. Attendees left feeling more confident in their ability to identify, intervene, and report issues of harassment. Addressing how sexual harassment and assault threatens the involvement of many vulnerable communities is necessary in ensuring that, as a community, we are promoting equitable and safe field settings for all. 

Monterey Bay SWMS at their FieldFutures workshop on April 23rd 2023

FieldFutures was founded in 2018 by Drs. Melissa Cronin and Erika Zavaleta. Using evidence-based techniques, they provide field-specific training for research teams of all sizes from individuals to entire agencies. Unfortunately, FieldFutures’ work comes from a need to reduce harassment in field work. Over half of researchers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields report being harassed and 20% have reported some form of assault while conducting field work (Clancy et al 2014). This idea recently came to the forefront of many institutions and departments with the release of the documentary Picture a Scientist premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. This critically acclaimed documentary illuminated the issue of prevalent harassment in field work situations and in geosciences specifically. The film follows the story of Dr. Jane Willenburg, a geology professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Dr. Willenburg was harassed by a supervisor in the field in Antarctica, and only reported her harasser after being awarded tenure. Her harasser was eventually removed from their institution. 

Dr. Willenburg’s story is, unfortunately, all too common in STEM fields, especially in  marine science. Marine scientists and oceanographers often report harassment in locations such as remote field sites or oceanographic cruises. According to a 2021 report by Women in Ocean Science, over 75% of survey participants were sexually harassed, with most reporting harassment in the field (Ackerman et al., 2023). Field work is often an instructional and formative experience, especially for early career scientists. Therefore, harassment and assault in the field is one of the major barriers to build inclusive marine science, geoscience, and broader STEM communities. As marine scientists, we should actively educate ourselves and our colleagues through programming such as those offered by FieldFutures or content such as Picture a Scientist to the pervasiveness of harassment in field work settings. Only by educating ourselves and our coworkers on the issues and holding those responsible accountable for their actions, will we be able to build more inclusive field work experiences for all. 

To learn more about FieldFutures, or to request a workshop, go to FieldFutures.Org

Sources:

https://www.fieldfutures.org/mission

 Clancy KBH, Nelson RG, Rutherford JN, Hinde K (2014) Survey of Academic Field Experiences (SAFE): Trainees Report Harassment and Assault. PLoS ONE 9(7): e102172. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102172

https://www.pictureascientist.com/

Ackerman, A., K. Yarincik, S. Murphy, I. Cetinić, A. Fundis, A. Miller, E. Shroyer, A. Busse, Q. Covington, A. DeSilva, A. Haupt, L. Johnson, C. Lee, L. Lorenzoni, B. Murphy, J. Ramarui, B. Rosenheim, and D. Steinberg. 2023. Know before you go: A community-derived approach to planning for and preventing sexual harassment at oceanographic field sites. Oceanography 36(1):38–43, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2023.112. 

Written by Katie Gallagher (SWMS Communications Lead) and Alex Stella (Monterey Bay SWMS)

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Introducing Ireland SWMS

Introducing Ireland SWMS! Our branch was born from a need to connect marine scientists in The Republic of Ireland, of all levels and backgrounds and create a progressive space to discuss important issues. As an island nation, we rely heavily on the marine industries. By creating an engaged networking community, we hope to support the marine science industry and bolster the success of female scientists. Though we’re starting small, with the help of all SWMS supporters, we expect to grow and connect scientists across the nation. Here are our co-founders sharing their unique experiences in the field.

Introducing Niamh: My name is Niamh Meyler, co-founder of the Irish chapter of SWMS.

Growing up near the Irish Sea, I had a love of the beach and of nature. When I was introduced by chance to the field of marine zoology, I knew I had found my dream career path that combined my passion and curiosity for animals, the ocean and discovery.

With Zoology as my chosen field of study, I enrolled in the National University of Ireland where I got my bachelor’s degree and solidified my interest in cnidarian ecology. After graduation, I worked as a Groundfish Observer where I trained at the NOAA/NMFS facility in Seattle and was assigned to different boats in Alaska to collect catch data.I continued my studies and I am currently doing an MSc. Marine Biology with Stockholm University with a focus on tropical coral disease epidemiology.

Introducing Aisha: Hello! My name is Aisha O’Connor, co-founder of the Irish chapter of SWMS.

It was during my transition year in secondary school when I first realised my passion for marine science. A late comer compared to some, but having not grown up by the sea and with nobody else in my family with a strong interest in the marine realm, it took the discovery of the Galapagos Islands through a geography project to ignite the marine fire inside of me. 

From there, I went on to complete a BSc in Marine Science at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) where I met Niamh, and continued my journey of discoveries when I was introduced to the wonderful world of seaweeds! And so flourished my passion for all things macroalgal-related. Since then I’ve had a bursary in the Aquaculture sector of the Marine Institute, Galway, worked as a research assistant in Alabama, US and Germany. Recently, I graduated with a MSc in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I feel connected to the marine environment by more than an academic thread, I love to swim and snorkel in the sea and even SCUBA dive! Peering directly into a marine ecosystem keeps my passion burning. 

Throughout my studies to date, I did not experience much encouragement to pursue a career in marine science. Simultaneously, resources detailing the opportunities and possibilities that would open up with a degree in Marine Science were few and far between. That being said, Niamh and I are striving to change the narrative through our innovative work with Ireland SWMS. 

Our goals: We hope that Ireland SWMS will be successful in our pursuit to promote the visibility of women in marine science and help people connect with the experience of minorities in the field. Ireland SWMS dedicates itself to 

  1. provide support to young marine scientists in pursuing a marine career/studies and for networking
  2. provide resources to find marine-related internships and jobs in Ireland
  3. share knowledge from previous experiences in academia/industry/volunteering positions/etc.

We hope those who share the goals of this open and inclusive society feel empowered to join us. Together we can act to make the marine sector in Ireland a diverse and dynamic community to be part of. 

Niamh on the left and Aisha on the right chat on a Zoom call.

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An update from our URI Chapter

By Diana, Karla, and Cassie, URI SWMS Chairs

Greetings from the University of Rhode Island! We’ve had an exciting year here in the Ocean State. After electing three new chairs in December (and getting lots of help from the previous chairs!), we had a spring semester packed with great events. We thought it would be fun to share them with all of you! Hearing about the different activities happening in SWMS chapters around the country (and around the world!) is one of our favorite things about behind a part of this community.

None of our events would have been possible without all of our wonderful members! We also had help and support from other groups at URI, such as the Marine Biology Department, the URI Marine Science Society, the Graduate Student Association, and the Graduate School of Oceanography, for which we are eternally grateful. Here’s a brief recap of our events:

– Beyond the Reef Post-Grad Panel: stories and discussions about life after undergrad, from people who’ve been there and survived (and snacks, of course)

– Undergraduate Opportunities Panel: great ideas from professors, alumni, and current students on how to get involved in research as an undergrad

– Just Keep Swimming Mental Health Day: awesome crafting and talking about stress management with Dr. Penny Rosenthal of the URI Women’s Center

– URI SMILE: local elementary school students got to visit campus and do hands-on activities about marine science

– URI Welcome Days: we got to tell prospective students all about SWMS!

– Racing Extinction Screening: the URI Marine Science Society showed this fascinating documentary, and afterward hosted a discussion with experts in the field

As we move into summer, we have more ideas on the horizon. We’re already thinking about hosting some informal networking and community building events, and we want to highlight all the cool summer research, jobs, and internships that our members are doing. In the fall, we’re hoping to host an informative panel aimed at graduate students, and maybe bring back Just Keep Swimming Day. We’re setting our sights on hosting a SWMS Symposium at URI in Spring 2020, so stay tuned!

Huge thank you to all of URI SWMS for their hard work, enthusiasm, and for just plain showing up. We couldn’t do anything without all of you!

Congratulations to all graduating seniors, and happy summer, everyone!

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An introduction to SWMS Brazil

By SWMS Brazil

English (scroll down for Portuguese)

The Brazilian chapter came out of our numerous conversations about science and its challenges. Since our first years of undergrad in Oceanography at the Center of Marine Studies (CEM) at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil, we worked in research laboratories and dreamed about being scientists. However, we knew that it wouldn’t be an easy task. Science and technology are not generally valued in Brazil, much less marine science. The pressure to develop creative, innovative and reliable research considering financial instability and uncertainties have been present throughout our academic life.

Building with a white sign
Center of Marine Studies (CEM) – Federal University of Paraná, Brazil

Currently, most of us are working toward an academic career. Some of us are masters students and others pursue a PhD. We have noticed that the same challenges we used to discuss during our first year in college are still present. When one of us discovered SWMS, we saw it as an opportunity to help us improve marine science visibility in Brazil. Our aim is to highlight the high quality research produced by Brazilian women in science and technology. We also strive to share experiences and difficulties in academic life, promote inclusion, and strengthen ties between society and marine science. We shared our idea with two professors from CEM and one from the Federal University of Santa Catarina who helped us to create the SWMS Brazil Chapter.

In contrast to other chapters which fall under one university, we choose to be a national chapter. Although we are now separated into three different universities and states, we never stopped having those conversations about science, and we support one another whenever we face similar problems. Now we are able to maintain our dialogue and finally spread our ideas. As this is a national chapter, we hope to integrate more voices and gather a representative group of women in marine sciences throughout Brazil to inspire young students to become scientists.

Portuguese

A SWMS Brasil nasceu em uma de nossas inúmeras conversas sobre ciência e seus desafios. Desde nossos primeiros anos de graduação em Oceanografia no Centro de Estudos do Mar (CEM), Universidade Federal do Paraná, sempre estivemos inseridas em laboratórios de pesquisa e já sonhávamos em ser cientistas. No entanto, sabíamos que não seria uma tarefa fácil. No Brasil, a ciência e o desenvolvimento tecnológico são pouco valorizados e as ciências marinhas sofrem muito com a falta de investimento. A pressão para desenvolver pesquisa científicos inovadoras e relevantes, a instabilidade financeira e as incertezas sobre o futuro sempre estiveram presentes em nossa vida acadêmica.

Atualmente a maioria de nós continua na carreira acadêmica, algumas estão no mestrado, outras são recém mestres e buscam um doutorado, e notamos que os desafios que discutíamos nos nossos primeiros anos de graduação ainda são os mesmos. Quando uma de nós descobriu a SWMS, vimos uma oportunidade que poderia nos ajudar a melhorar a visibilidade da ciência marinha no Brasil. Nosso objetivo é evidenciar a pesquisa de alta qualidade produzida por brasileiras, compartilhar experiências e dificuldades da vida acadêmica, promover a inclusão e fortalecer os laços entre a sociedade e as ciências marinhas. Essa ideia foi compartilhada com duas professoras do Centro de Estudos do Mar da Universidade Federal do Paraná e uma professora da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina que nos incentivaram e nos ajudaram a criar o SWMS Brasil.

Diferente dos outros capítulos que levam o nome de apenas uma universidade, escolhemos ser um capítulo nacional, pois aquelas amigas que um dia estudaram juntas agora estão separados em três universidades e estados diferentes, mas não poderiam deixar de discutir sobre ciência e apoiar umas às outras. A ciência sempre foi o nosso assunto favorito e a distância foi uma das razões que nos motivou a criar o SWMS Brasil. Agora somos capazes de manter nosso diálogo e finalmente espalhar nossas ideias. Como este é um capítulo nacional, esperamos integrar mais vozes e reunir um grupo representativo de mulheres nas ciências marinhas de todo o Brasil e inspirar jovens estudantes a se tornarem cientistas.

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University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Laboratory launches a SWMS chapter

women standing in two rows, smiling and "sorority squatting".

By Melanie Jackson, Lexy McCarty, Hannah Morrissette, and Emily Brownlee

After learning about SWMS at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in Portland, OR and hearing from mid-Atlantic universities in Delaware and Virginia that a Maryland SWMS chapter would be a welcomed addition, we decided that our Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) community would benefit from a chapter. From a quick look at the HPL online directory, you may notice that the majority of the graduate students at HPL are women (~60%), whereas the majority of the faculty are men. This dichotomy between students and faculty motivates one of our primary goals, which is to help increase retention of women in higher levels of the marine sciences.

Although we are a relatively small laboratory, we were thrilled to receive interest from 28 people on campus. Other than graduate students, we have a large number of women on campus, such as faculty, research assistants, and employees of local nonprofits who partner with the laboratory. During our first meeting, we went around the room and addressed what everyone wanted to get out of SWMS. Some common themes included showcasing women at the community level, providing professional development and networking, interacting more with our faculty, and creating an open space for women’s issues. The discussion helped identify topics that we have since focused on during our past meetings, and that we plan to address in the future, such as unconscious bias training and tips on how to boost confidence levels.

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Last week was our first large event, where we invited Shelby Byrd from University of Maryland Human Resources to give us a half-day crash course workshop on leadership and crucial conversation. During the workshop, we practiced introducing ourselves briefly using the three P’s (Professional, Passion, and Personal). Although we are comfortable delivering our science-related elevator pitches, this introduction format was challenging. It forced us to think about ourselves beyond the scope of science and gave us some exposure to a new introduction template we could utilize at different types of networking events.

The three P’s: Professional, Passion, and Personal

Next, we practiced and discussed conflict resolution tools that could help us manage hypothetical and/or real-life conflicts. This involved learning lots of different models, and their acronyms, that could be employed for various types of conflicts. One such model was Crucial Conversations: Work on me first, confront with safety, and move into action. Most importantly, and arguably everyone’s favorite, was the BEER model: Behavior, Emotion, Effect, Request.

Once we learned an arsenal of tools and models, we successfully practiced using the Crucial Conversation model in simulated conversations. After practicing with each other, we followed with a discussion on what we did well and how we could have handled the situation differently.

This training provided us with the confidence to deal with potentially tricky situations, as well as created a great bonding opportunity. Overall, the positive response that we’ve received from our HPL community encourages us to support each other.

 

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Introducing SWMS at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA)!

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.

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