Women Leadership

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WEBINARS - Women Leadership in Marine Technology Webinar Series

Upcoming Webinars:

  • April 10, 2024 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
  • July 10, 2024 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
  • October 9, 2024 | 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET

Archived Webinars:

View the archived webinars and associated resources from this series. 

Equity for Women in Science January 10, 2024 The book, Equity for Women in Science, is the first large-scale empirical analysis of the gender gap in science, showing how the structure of scientific labor and rewards - publications, citations, funding - systematically obstructs women's career advancement. 
Work-life Balance  October 11, 2023 Work-Life Balance. Is there such a thing? Join us for a live conversation between three panelists and two coaches to discuss Work-Life Balance, including realities surrounding the loaded topic and strategies for managing and striving for a better balance.
Women Retention in STEM July 12, 2023 Female undergraduates now outnumber males at American colleges and universities. In 2020, women made up 45 percent of STEM majors, an increase of 10 percent over the previous decade. However, the STEM workforce remains challenging for many women. In 2019 the US Census Bureau data revealed the that only 27 percent of STEM workers were women. This indicates a STEM workplace culture problem.
Microaggressions April 12, 2023 Microaggressions. Their impact is anything but small. They come in many forms and are experienced by a variety of people in a variety of settings. Microaggressions can be experienced repeatedly by women in the workplace — and often, the problematic behaviors that make women feel uncomfortable at work go unrecognized by colleagues.
Find Your Inner Entrepreneur  January 11, 2023 Listen in on a discussion about women-owned businesses, where to start if you have an idea, and what it might take to start your own business.
Promote Safety in Field Sciences  October 12, 2022 A panel discussion about the outcomes of the Workshop to Promote Safety in Field Sciences. The workshop report details four major factors affecting field safety: culture change (at home institutions and in the field), accountability, policy development, and reporting procedures. The panelists discussed each of these factors as they play a critical role in the prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based harassment.
Hosting Events: Lessons Learned and Connections Made July 13, 2022 This webinar focused on hosting your own events to promote women in marine technology and sciences.
Wage Gap April 13, 2022 Women make less than men in some science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. But why? Please listen in on this conversation to uncover some of the reasons behind this continuing trend.
Implicit/Unconscious Bias January 12, 2022 An interactive panel discussion on the implicit/unconscious bias that can invade the workplace and our lives. Learn how to recognize it and best practices to address it. 
We Do Not Need Saving, We Need Allies October 13, 2021 Empowerment is a critical element of gender equality, however gender equality is not a "women's issue," nor can it be advanced solely through women's efforts. Men are important actors who can share the responsibility and participate actively in this agenda. Why? Because men continue to hold many of the influential decision-making positions. Working in partnership with women, men can be game-changers in transforming cultures and institutions that uphold harmful gender norms.
Women Leadership in Marine Technology & Science July 7, 2021 A two-part satellite session discussing challenges and opportunities for women in marine technology and science as part of the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – Ocean Decade Laboratory Series (https://www.oceandecade-conference.com/en/an-inspiring-and-engaging-ocean.html). Part 1 was a panel featuring women from the ocean science and marine technology fields to share their pathways (career and personal). During Part 2, participants were invited to break-out electronically into discussion rooms to discuss, making sea/field work equitable, retaining more women in STEM studies and careers, reducing prejudice/stereotyping of women’s abilities and easily accessible resources for managing relationships with majority male colleagues. The core Ocean Decade Laboratory event can be watched here as well as the Wrap-up. The Decade also created a documentary of the Core Event 

TOWN HALLS

Here We Are! Addressing the Wikipedia Gender Gap Ocean Sciences Meeting 2024 Town Hall

The largest encyclopedia has a problem - a gap - specifically a gender gap. Of the roughly 1.5 million biographical articles on the English version of Wikipedia in 2021, only 19% were about women. Join us for a discussion to learn more about the underlying and systemic issues contributing to the gap. Stay for an opportunity to contribute to the solution and change the face of science on the world’s encyclopedia. Instructions for crafting new and editing current Wikipedia entries will be provided to all attendees with a bit of time to get the entry started. A list of suggested people worthy of Wikipedia entries will be provided, however participants will be encouraged to champion whomever they wish, including themselves! The Wikipedia Edit-a-thon will remain open for two weeks after the conference. All entries will be tracked and shared during a follow-up webinar highlighting participants and successful posts.

The Authority Gap OCEANS 2023 Town Hall

This Town Hall provided an opportunity to connect, inform, and discuss strategies to address and help close the authority gap. To access these resources, click here.

Find Your Inner Entrepreneur OCEANS 2022 Town Hall

The world needs more women-owned businesses! Why? Here’s some stats*:

  • Private tech companies led by women achieve 35% higher ROI.
  • Women-founded companies outperformed companies founded by men by 63%.
  • Women have a 69.5% success rate of crowdfunding for their businesses while men have a 61.4% success rate.
  • 57.4% of the SBA Microloan program’s loan went to women-owned or women-led businesses.

However:

  • Women receive just 7% of venture funds for their startups.
  • Female entrepreneurs ask for roughly $35,000 less in business financing than men.
  • Overall, men receive an average loan size of almost $5,000 less.
Gender Equity OCEANS 2021 Town Hall

Several efforts are underway to identify and address factors resulting in gender disparity throughout the workforce pipeline and at the highest scientific leadership positions, This Town Hall hosted conversations about how organizations can advance change in obtaining gender parity. 

Gender Equity AGU Fall Meeting 2020 Town Hall

While the last several decades have seen increased representation of women in the ocean sciences, representation of women is not equitable at the highest leadership roles. To foster a community-wide conversation, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, the Marine Technological Society, and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership seek to advance recent recommendations and efforts to highlight, support, and empower women leaders to persist in ocean science-oriented careers through an online presence and in-person events. 

Panelists will focus on the role(s) that community organizations, like MTS and COL, play to implement recommendations and support efforts underway for women aiming to achieve leadership positions.  Group discussion will be designed to address topics surrounding women working in ocean sciences from early- to mid-career levels.  The organizers of this event envision that similar sessions will be hosted online and at a variety of future conferences and meetings, becoming an enduring legacy.

Panel Members:

  • Mr. Kenneth Bailey, Director of the Civil Rights Office, NOAA (reintroduce)
  • Dr. Margaret Leinen, Director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
  • Dr. Mandy Joye, Professor, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia
  • Dr. Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director, Schmidt Ocean Institute
Picture a Scientist OCEANS Global 2020 Town Hall

This Town Hall is the first in a series of events hosted by MTS to kick off an initiative to highlight women in marine technology and science. The goal of this initiative is to create opportunities for connecting, informing and inspiring women in the marine science and technology sectors to further understand the challenges that remain.

 Discussions began with Drs. Rita Colwell and Chuck Wilson of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative last December about how GOMRI and MTS could combine forces to celebrate and support more women in the field.


 WIKIPEDIA EDIT-A-THONS

Ocean Sciences Meeting February 2024

Women and non-binary persons are under-represented in ocean science, and their accomplishments are even less represented in both print and online media. A continued effort to ensure diversity and gender inclusiveness in ocean science is essential to unlock more and equitable opportunities.

This Wikipedia Edit-a-thon aims to empower volunteers who want to contribute to promoting the stories of accomplishments of women and non-binary individuals in ocean science by increasing their online presence.

As a participant, you will receive training in Wikipedia editing and then asked to edit, add, or translate Wikipedia entries for women and non-binary individuals in ocean science. The event will also feature special guest speakers who will share inspiring stories about their careers in ocean science.

Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon List   |   Presentation Slides   |   Workshop Video

UN Ocean Decade Laboratory July 2021

MTS in collaboration with Ingenium, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO were pleased to present an Edit-a-thon to create or improve Wikipedia entries to bolster the profiles of women and their contributions to ocean science, engineering, and technology.

Although women and non-binary persons are under-represented in ocean sciences, their accomplishments are even less represented, in both print media and online. This event was held to help bridge the digital gender gap in ocean sciences. Participants were invited to edit, add, or translate Wikipedia entries for women and non-binary individuals in ocean sciences. 

This event was held July 8, 2021 and featured a keynote speaker to inspire the volunteer editors  followed by a basic training for editing Wikipedia. Organizers provided the volunteer editors with an opportunity for Q&A and also brainstorming/assignment of a list of people or organizations for whom the group could create or edit pages. The event was recorded and available for asynchronous participation to accommodate as many schedules and time zones as possible. Participants were given seven days to perform the edits as part of this event.


OTHER EVENTS

Women and the Ocean Decade June 2023

This discussion was centered around the improvement of gender equality and empowerment in marine technology and science. The event is a collaboration between the Empowering Women for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development Programme and the Women Leadership in Marine Technology and Science initiative.

 

Picture a Scientist Film Discussion October 21, 2020

Listen to a recording of an interactive panel discussion lead by women in ocean science that was held on October 21, 2020 to discuss the Picture a Scientist film. Panelists include: Nicole LeBoeuf, Acting Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, NOAA; Karen St. Germain, Division Director, Earth Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA; Penny Chisholm, Institute Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Biology, MIT; Brandy Armstrong, staff physical oceanographer, University of Southern Mississippi; Mandy Joye, Professor, Department of Marine Sciences, University of Georgia

Picture a Scientist chronicles the groundswell of researchers who are writing a new chapter for women scientists. Biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring lead viewers on a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights. Along the way, from cramped laboratories to spectacular field stations, we encounter scientific luminaries – including social scientists, neuroscientists, and psychologists – who provide new perspectives on how to make science itself more diverse, equitable, and open to all.

Picture a Scientist was an official selection of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film’s virtual theatrical run reached 47 theaters across the USA in June 2020, and raised money for two organizations advancing women of color in STEM. The film is currently available for virtual community screenings, and plans are in progress for broadcast and streaming distribution in the coming months.


RESOURCES

Symposium on Evidence-based Interventions: NSF Taking Action

Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing

Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 

Respect at Sea 


ARCHIVED EVENTS

Empowering Women in the Ocean Decade, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO in partnership with Fisheries and Ocean Canada and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO on November 10, 2020

Women Leadership in Ocean Science and Technology Town Hall on Thursday, December 3, 2020 at the AGU Fall Meeting. (AGU meeting registration required)