August 17, 2020

UOW researchers get on their soapbox to promote women working in STEM

Four UOW researchers will present their latest research at Soapbox Science Sydney Online

Four University of Wollongong (UOW) researchers will get on their soapbox this week at an event to promote working in Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM).

Soapbox Science Sydney Online is running from 17 – 20 August and while it was initially planned to take place as a physical event, it has now moved to an online format.

The four UOW researchers presenting at the event are Dr Jody Morgan, Dr Natalie Matosin, Dr Melinda Waterman and Dr Holly Tootell.

Dr Morgan says the event is a great way for people to learn more about the diverse research being undertaken by females working in STEM in Australia.

“The online format means even more people can be involved and have an opportunity to learn from and ask questions of leading female researchers,” she said.

“People watching from home can send in questions and have a chance to interact with researchers in a way that isn’t often possible.”

Over four nights Soapbox Science Sydney Online will present 12 researchers, each having 45 minutes to talk about their latest discoveries and to answer questions from the audience. The speakers are all leading female researchers in Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths.

Dr Matosin will be speaking on Monday 17 August at 9pm. Her presentation is on studying the brains of the dead to understand how stress contributes to mental illness.

Dr Morgan will present on Tuesday 18 August at 8pm. She will talk about pill testing, how it works and why it’s important.

Dr Waterman is also speaking on 18 August at 9pm. She will present on how mosses can live in Antarctica.

Dr Tootell is speaking on Wednesday 19 August at 9pm. Her presentation will be about pre-schoolers views on technology design.

Soapbox Science was originally developed in London and builds on the tradition of public speaking at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, where people used to stand on wooden crates to share their ideas. Soapbox Science hold events all over the world and focuses on promoting women in STEM.

The event is free and tickets can be booked at: https://events.humanitix.com/soapbox-science-sydney-online-2020#