Diversity in STEM Review: let's talk solutions

I will use the word Science, not STEM. Every time another letter is added to the acronym, it dilutes the contribution of fundamental Science. I have been a scientist - specifically a chemist/biochemist. I have not really had anything to do with the T, E, OR M unless I needed to use a bit of these things for my science. I know they are necessary, but why can't we expand the field by treating them separately and giving full concentration to each one?

Having said that, fundamental understanding in a range of science disciplines is important in the human endeavour. Not enough credit/publicity/recognition is given to those skilled in this area, compared with the hullaballoo of sportspeople and popular musicians and actors.

For example, where are the reporters waiting at the airports for the International Science Olympiad teams every year, photographing them and reporting on their medals??? Every year. Only occasionally reported anywhere. Grrrrrr. In fact, finding the information online is difficult anyway. With all the money spent by advertisers in ridiculous and often incorrect endeavours, why can't someone (with presumably T skills from the acronym) make an accessible website with an understandable name, and promote this activity ?

And that is just one example of hundreds where popular culture is promoted but important information that improves the lives of all humanity is ignored.

I don't know the answer, in my small way over the years, I have tried. Now in my dotage I just whinge about it.

Except for this one thing - I still go into the local primary school each week for the middle 2 terms to support students in years 5 and 6 to do their own projects and present demos at an Expo Day in Science week.

I have been involved in this since 2009. And previously during the 1980s when my children were at the school, I worked along with the teachers to expand their science curriculum.

Hopefully this is promoting science for the future, one class at a time.

See above. I went overboard with my story.

I will add that I was fortunate to have the opportunity to do a late-career PhD. This is A Very Good Thing within the Australian educational culture, in any field.

Please note also that I ticked "research" as my main area, because I could only tick one. In fact, "education" has been equally prominent within my career, and more so now in my retirement. In fact, with a biology colleague, I co-authored more papers in science education research in the 2 years post-retirement than I had in the previous few years.

I also ticked "metropolitan" because I am not really regional. But I am in a semi-rural area, on a small property, with very long commutes to anywhere - although classified as "just" within the Sydney metropolitan area.

These 2 things will confuse your statistics no-end, I am sure - but surveys should be designed to be more flexible if they are to give an accurate analysis. So this is a pointer for the future.

I have no idea how to fix any of these things, except (as mentioned above) my very small attempts at introducing science activities and confidence to "ask questions, and to be wrong, and then to fix it" in pre-teens.

I also admit that, as a woman, and as one of only 2 or 3 girls in senior science classes in the mid- 1960s and the only woman in my Chemistry Honours year at ANU in 1969, I have never, ever experienced any sort of marginalisation or discrimination because of my sex/gender. Scientists have generally been absolutely lovely workmates.

See above. Initially in 2009 my activities were part of a wonderful organisation called Scientists in Schools. You can look this up for yourself, but it changed and changed and changed and became something I did not fit into any more (and the staff changed and were not amenable to understanding what my colleague and I were doing in our school). It is now STEM Professionals in schools - if it exists at all, maybe it doesn't. We resigned - neither of us are T, E OR M as above, and both of us are retired and no longer professionals and all communication was online and no longer personal. At that point, we asked our school if they would still like us to come to do the projects as community volunteers (I call myself a Community Elder). They were then, and still are, most enthusiastic in supporting our program. So - to improve - be more personally involved in the participants in the program, and have staff that supports them and communicates with them as individuals doing their own thing, in their own way.

A long time ago, I also organised programs at UWS (now WSU) that were workshops for high school students. The funding came from a Girls in Science thingo via the Government, somehow. I said at the time that this was discriminatory, as there were a lot of boys in the Western Sydney area who needed supporting in science (the anecdotal evidence from teachers was that those most capable snapped up apprenticeships, and those left at school were not those most interested in science). After a few years this changed, and we had funding for all students whose schools wanted to participate. I have forgotten what and how. Then we merged with the Siemens Summer School and just tail-ended on their organisational skills.

These things are great. Many current such workshops are centred on the T and E, and some involve competitions. THESE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WE NEED. We need support for chemistry, biology, physics, horticulture to set up workshops for school students too. University staff are (a) busy and (b) not necessarily skilled at setting up workshop activities for school students. THEY NEED A POSITIVE PUSH to do so. I would go around to my colleagues and persuade them, then most would become enthusiastic. But funding is needed - just to have admin staff to contact the schools is onerous. Starting at year 9 rather than concentrating on senior years would also be helpful, before decisions are made about subjects in year 11.

The other thing we noticed, was that only about half the schools ever responded to our information, and of those only about half eventually attended a workshop. And if one enthusiastic teacher left a particular school, it was often impossible to find someone else at that school to be enthusiastic - or even answer correspondence.

OK, I have responded with some anecdotes from the past and present. Cultural change is difficult - but the only way I see it happening is to take a leaf from advertisers and get the media on board. (As mentioned, starting with welcoming the International Science Olympiad contestants EVERY YEAR. Imagine if this were a sporting event.)