STEM CORNER: Highlighting Successful Women in STEM
Our Maths Club initiative to connect students with women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-based careers continues again in our ‘STEM Corner’.
This edition features an interview from Harriet O’Connor (pictured above) of Year 9 with Dr Mika Peace (pictured below). Dr. Peace works in High Impact Weather, Science and Innovation with the Bureau of Meteorology, having experience as a fire-research meteorologist and working in operational forecasting and briefing during extreme weather events across the country. Harriet and Dr. Peace conducted this interview over a video call, where Dr. Peace was kind enough to share insight about her career journey and offer advice to MSCW students.
Harriet: First, could you just tell me a little bit about what you do?
Dr Peace: Sure! I work at the Bureau of Meteorology and I’ve been with the Bureau for about 20 years, and spent most of the first 10 years working in Operational Forecasting around the country. So I worked in Public Forecasting, Aviation Forecasting, worked in commercial weather for a while, and I worked in Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, and Adelaide. In 2010 I did a PhD in Fire Meteorology, so I was really looking at fire and atmosphere interactions, and forgoing fires, what the fire is going to look like, how it is going to behave, and how it’s going to interact with the surrounding atmosphere. I’ve spent a lot of time with fire agencies, working and looking closely at fires that actually happened, and understanding why the fire behaved the way that it did. We also do quite a lot of pretty complex simulations on supercomputers. It’s a real mix of doing the heavy detail science side, and the people side of it as well. And a lot of the time on the operations side, when things get interesting, I end up working beside the fire agencies, and working closely with their operation centre personnel to really unpack what the risks are on a particular day.
Harriet: Wow. Why is your research important, and what are some of the possible real world applications for your research?
Dr Peace: My research is important because it’s really about being able to predict and understand high impact weather. So when we talk about high impact weather we’re really talking about Tropical Storms, Cyclones, and Thunderstorms. Fire weather is also very front and centre globally. So, it’s understanding what a fire is going to do, and understanding where it’s going to burn is really critical to emergency management. We’re trying to understand what’s going to happen, so we can manage it effectively, and develop predictive tools so we can better predict fires in the future. The real world applications are a lot more immediate than other areas, because I can be doing research and then out the next day talking to fire agencies, and putting it into practice.
Harriet: What do you think is the best way to get students interested in your field, because it’s quite an interesting field of work
Dr Peace: I think it’s very specialised, and it’s not necessarily something you learn about when you’re at school. I think it’s difficult to expose kids to more unique pathways, and I’ve found one of the best ways to get them interested is just to go out and talk to them, and explain what it actually is that I do. Women in STEM who talk in the media about what they do is also something we’ve found to be really helpful for getting people interested in these science fields.
Harriet: What subjects or extracurricular activities would you say contributed most to your chosen career?
Dr Peace: I think maths would definitely be the biggest one. You know I was always good at maths, but I didn’t understand how you could apply it to the real world, so when I went to university and saw how the mathematical equations can go into weather systems which have global effects, I really saw how important it was. When maths is taught at school, students aren’t really exposed to what you can actually do with maths, and all the interesting things you can do. In terms of extracurriculars, I think now with all the talk around climate science, communications are really important. Sometimes being able to communicate is even more important than doing science. You need a balance of being able to do the science and communicate to the people who use it. A lot of people I work with have heaps of hobbies, sports and things like that, so having that balance between academics and health and fitness is really important.
Harriet: That’s definitely important. Could you share a turning point in your work or a defining moment in your career that really stands out to you?
Dr Peace: Probably the Black Summer Fires. Because we’d been doing so much work leading up to that to do with fire atmosphere and the fundamental science, and then during Black Summer I was asked to work in one of the fire agencies in 4 different states. I was in Queensland in November, R.F.S. in December and January, C.F.S in South Australia in November and February, and Western Australia for a bit as well. So that really to me was showing how we actually use the science, briefing prime ministers, premiers – it wasn’t just about doing the science, it was about making it relevant, consistent, and accessible.
Harriet: Considering some of the gender barriers in STEM fields, what would you say is the key to success in your field?
Dr Peace: That’s a good question. For me, I work mainly with men, and one of the turning points for me was when I did a women in leadership course, and the advice was really about taking ownership over what women can do differently and what they are good at, and making that part of what you do. So, it’s about not trying to be or emulate the behaviours of men, but actually doing what you are really good at, and using it to your strength. It’s not easy, but recognising your strengths and applying them is definitely important to success.
Harriet: I think that’s really great advice. How has your work influenced the way you see the world, and society?
Dr Peace: The more I learn, the more I realise how much we as a society don’t know. My work is incredibly humbling, because even when you are an expert in your field there are still things you don’t know. One of the things I like about my work is that wherever I go, Australians empathise and realise the importance of fire safety. It’s important to have that recognition of the importance of what we do.
Harriet: And finally, what are some of the projects you are on currently?
Dr Peace: I’ve got a few. One is a mobile radar in Western Australia, looking at fire plumes. There’s another about producing a collection of training materials, so taking the science research we’ve done and putting it into an online platform and working with an education provider to get that information out. I’m also doing some operational support, since we’re expecting another busy dire season we need to be prepared for. One more large project I’ve got coming up is studying fire behaviour through the lower levels of the atmosphere and translating that for data. Most importantly, I’m involved in women in leadership, and helping and supporting colleagues to develop their careers.
Harriet: Thank you! It’s really great to see someone who is so passionate about the STEM field, and what they do for it, and I think your advice is going to be very beneficial.
We thank Dr. Peace for her generosity of time and advice, and appreciate another thoughtfully constructed interview from Harriet!
Miss Emma Pracey, Instructional Specialist
