Celebrating MDX's female science talent on International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022
Celebrating MDX's female science talent on International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022
11/02/2022
"It’s not people like me, it’s young female students that will inspire younger generations and say yes you can do it, you’re just like me": Dr Alison Megeney
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a UN-instituted awareness day celebrated on 11 February since 2016, to promote female involvement in science and tech fields. To mark the Day this year, we've spoken to MDX students, staff and alumni about their scientific passions and ambitions.
BSc Computer Science student Romila Nilukshi Jeevapalan, from Sri Lanka has wanted to become a software engineer since the age of 7 when an engineer showed her how computers work.
Romila, who has a severe hearing impairment, says: "My biggest inspiration is my mother. She bought me my first ever computer and really encouraged me to use it and to learn about it.
"She taught me to work hard and also to NEVER give up, especially when there have been difficulties and barriers in life.
"There is an overrepresentation of men in STEM subjects and women are constantly being left behind so ideally I would like to see equality in the future in terms of representation of both men and women".
Stacie Steele Cook was so enthused doing a module on the darknet and bitcoin for her Criminology undergrad at MDX that she stayed on to do a Masters in Cybercrime and Digital Investigations.
"My module leader was a massive inspiration to me, he made me realise I have more potential in this area" says Stacie.
"In the future, I’m hoping to encourage more women to get involved in investigating cybercrime and thinking that it is a possible world for us to be in as well as men."
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a UN-instituted awareness day celebrated on 11 February since 2016, to promote female involvement in science and tech fields. To mark the Day this year, we've spoken to MDX students, staff and alumni about their scientific passions and ambitions.
MSc Sports Science and Nutrition Rushali Kanaiyalal Patel, an athlete herself since childhood, was inspired by a female coach while she was at school to embrace a career in sports. She aspires to work mainly with female athletes and hopes to see a better gender balance among those who work with professional sportspeople. "I just wanted to prove that girls are no less strong than boys in sports," Rushali says.
Dr Michaela Kendall, co-founder with her physicist father of one of the UK’s first hydrogen fuel cell businesses, is a MDX Environmental Science BSc and PhD alumna.
“Science amazes me. It’s a love of it: it’s a vocation not a career” Michaela says. MDX was “pioneering,” she says, for offering an Environment Science course in the late 1980s, on which she was one of just three women. She went on to work for the Women's Environmental Network looking at female-specific environmental impacts; she has strongly believed since those very different times, that "mixed gender teams bouncing out lots of talent are the winning team".
The radically simple ceramic pipe fuel design Michaela she used for her final year MDX BSc project on fuel cells went on to form the basis for Adelan’s technology. Despite frustrating false dawns, she’s optimistic about the future for hydrogen: “I can see the supply chains forming. It’s going to happen," she says.
Senior Lecturer in Computer Science Dr Ramona Trestian was inspired by her Dad who involved her in all things around the house as a child, and by her Mum who told her that she had the power to do anything she wanted in life.
Despite a persistent gender gap, Ramona says she's happy to see more and more women taking up scientific careers. "We need to keep helping each other and supporting each other to contribute our ideas in this field.
Ramona is part of the London Digital Twin Research Centre which has many ongoing research projects in partnership with businesses like Siemens and universities around the world.
Associate Professor in Mathematics Dr Alison Megeney, Head of Learning, Teaching & Student Experience in the Faculty of Science & Technology, was inspired by her female school maths teacher and by her sister who also studied maths.
"Personally, I’d love to get back out there into the community and start working with my female students, students from diverse backgrounds to inspire others to come and take up STEM," says Alison. "I hope we can go and do the STEM Festival again so that my young students can inspire others.
"It’s not people like me, it’s young female students that will inspire younger generations and say yes you can do it, you’re just like me.’
‘I think for women in STEM generally, I want to see much more diversity. That means we need to engage with young people, young women and be more inclusive".
Celebrating MDX's female science talent on International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a UN-instituted awareness day celebrated on 11 February since 2016, to promote female involvement in science and tech fields. To mark the Day this year, we've spoken to MDX students, staff and alumni about their scientific passions and ambitions.
BSc Computer Science student Romila Nilukshi Jeevapalan, from Sri Lanka has wanted to become a software engineer since the age of 7 when an engineer showed her how computers work.
Romila, who has a severe hearing impairment, says: "My biggest inspiration is my mother. She bought me my first ever computer and really encouraged me to use it and to learn about it.
"She taught me to work hard and also to NEVER give up, especially when there have been difficulties and barriers in life.
"There is an overrepresentation of men in STEM subjects and women are constantly being left behind so ideally I would like to see equality in the future in terms of representation of both men and women".
Stacie Steele Cook was so enthused doing a module on the darknet and bitcoin for her Criminology undergrad at MDX that she stayed on to do a Masters in Cybercrime and Digital Investigations.
"My module leader was a massive inspiration to me, he made me realise I have more potential in this area" says Stacie.
"In the future, I’m hoping to encourage more women to get involved in investigating cybercrime and thinking that it is a possible world for us to be in as well as men."
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a UN-instituted awareness day celebrated on 11 February since 2016, to promote female involvement in science and tech fields. To mark the Day this year, we've spoken to MDX students, staff and alumni about their scientific passions and ambitions.
MSc Sports Science and Nutrition Rushali Kanaiyalal Patel, an athlete herself since childhood, was inspired by a female coach while she was at school to embrace a career in sports. She aspires to work mainly with female athletes and hopes to see a better gender balance among those who work with professional sportspeople. "I just wanted to prove that girls are no less strong than boys in sports," Rushali says.
Dr Michaela Kendall, co-founder with her physicist father of one of the UK’s first hydrogen fuel cell businesses, is a MDX Environmental Science BSc and PhD alumna.
“Science amazes me. It’s a love of it: it’s a vocation not a career” Michaela says. MDX was “pioneering,” she says, for offering an Environment Science course in the late 1980s, on which she was one of just three women. She went on to work for the Women's Environmental Network looking at female-specific environmental impacts; she has strongly believed since those very different times, that "mixed gender teams bouncing out lots of talent are the winning team".
The radically simple ceramic pipe fuel design Michaela she used for her final year MDX BSc project on fuel cells went on to form the basis for Adelan’s technology. Despite frustrating false dawns, she’s optimistic about the future for hydrogen: “I can see the supply chains forming. It’s going to happen," she says.
Senior Lecturer in Computer Science Dr Ramona Trestian was inspired by her Dad who involved her in all things around the house as a child, and by her Mum who told her that she had the power to do anything she wanted in life.
Despite a persistent gender gap, Ramona says she's happy to see more and more women taking up scientific careers. "We need to keep helping each other and supporting each other to contribute our ideas in this field.
Ramona is part of the London Digital Twin Research Centre which has many ongoing research projects in partnership with businesses like Siemens and universities around the world.
Associate Professor in Mathematics Dr Alison Megeney, Head of Learning, Teaching & Student Experience in the Faculty of Science & Technology, was inspired by her female school maths teacher and by her sister who also studied maths.
"Personally, I’d love to get back out there into the community and start working with my female students, students from diverse backgrounds to inspire others to come and take up STEM," says Alison. "I hope we can go and do the STEM Festival again so that my young students can inspire others.
"It’s not people like me, it’s young female students that will inspire younger generations and say yes you can do it, you’re just like me.’
‘I think for women in STEM generally, I want to see much more diversity. That means we need to engage with young people, young women and be more inclusive".