Celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Text by Carol Switzer, Video production by Richard Bird

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11th provides an occasion to recognise achievements of women in science and focus on girls gaining an appreciation for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. STEM disciplines are historically dominated by men and this trend seems set to continue since 94% of economies have mostly men STEM graduates according to the World Bank. Interestingly, in a recent project that examined employability, Paeradigms found that this trend is reversed in Algeria and Tunisia, both boasting the highest percentages of STEM women graduates in the world at 55% and 58% (Volles & Switzer, 2020).

Vivian Ogechi Nwadiaru is one of these talented women, as one of first graduates from PAUWES Algeria, the Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (including Climate Change) where she earned a Master of Science (MSc) in Energy Engineering in 2017. Vivian is also a co-founder of the NGO STEMJets which facilitates access, mobility and inclusion of pre-university students in science education. Paeradigms is a proud supporter and donor to STEMJets.

Vivian Ogechi Nwadiaru, 2021. Photo courtesy of Vivian.

We caught up with Vivian, now pursuing her doctorate in Industrial Engineer and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Boston, US.

Vivian Ogechi Nwadiaru, 2021. Video production courtesy of Richard Bird.

Keywords

Women in STEM, Girls in STEM, STEM, STEMJets, International Day of Women and Girls in Science

References

Volles, N. & Switzer, C. (2020). Reinforcing the Innovation- Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean - A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers. Barcelona: Union for the Mediterranean. Citing Wadhwa, D. There are fewer female than male STEM graduates in 107 of 114 economies. World Bank Data Blog (2019).