Science News

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Did you know it was the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Sunday 11 February? It is a wonderful day to pause and think about how we can increase the number of women in Science, and support all women in their scientific endeavours. As part of our celebrations, the Science Leaders invited Associate Professor Lana McClements (A/Prof McClements) to visit the School at lunch on Monday and present about her career and research.

A/Prof McClements’ research area is in cardiac obstetrics – a difficult area to investigate since cells from the placenta cannot usually be obtained during a pregnancy. It was very interesting to see an example of how living cells can be 3D printed onto a chip, and then used to make a model placenta for testing to improve fetal outcomes. She showed how useful 3D bioprinting can be to show how the organoids produced by this process are different to those grown through traditional methods. She also discussed how she has helped develop quick tests to detect pre-eclampsia (a common pregnancy complication).

A/Prof McClements also spoke about her career, including her journey from school through university, then to working as a pharmacist. However, she realised that her passion lay in research, so she returned to university to complete a PhD, and has been successfully pursuing an academic career ever since. This inspiring message of working hard and finding your passion is important for success and happiness.

Many thanks to A/Prof McClements for her time, and to our Science Leaders for their excellent organisation of this event.

Happy International Women in Science Day to everyone!

The banner image is of our Science Leaders presenting the Acknowledgement of Country at A/Prof Lana McClement’s presentation.

Luke Hanson
Head of  Science