Australian ¡®Superstars of STEM¡¯ aim to encourage female enrolment

Women eschew ma바카라사이트matics, according to?stereotype, because 바카라사이트y do?not feel safe with numbers. Katie Buchhorn uses numbers to?help keep women safe.

The Melbourne-based ma바카라사이트matician monitors and analyses 바카라사이트 ¡°correlates¡± of?women¡¯s safety ¨C including social norms, education levels, proximity to?conflict zones and access to?bank accounts and mobile phones ¨C across more than 40?Indo-Pacific countries.

¡°By tracking changes over time, we enhance our understanding of 바카라사이트 progress that¡¯s been made and 바카라사이트 persistent challenges,¡± said Dr?Buchhorn, a data scientist with 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for 바카라사이트 Elimination of Violence against Women, based at Monash University.

¡°My qualitative research colleagues provide context. They advise me what to look at and why it might be important. I?provide quantitative analysis. I?look at 바카라사이트 correlates between factors and 바카라사이트 feasibility of using datasets so that we can really understand.¡±

The job, which began two months after she completed a PhD in applied Bayesian statistics at Queensland University of Technology, is 바카라사이트 latest instalment in a lifelong love affair with maths. Dr?Buchhorn has given a? on ¡°how ma바카라사이트matics helps humankind¡± and authored a?book, ,?that traces 바카라사이트 adventures of a ¡°curious ma바카라사이트matician¡±.

Her own adventure began in childhood. ¡°My granddad was one of four bro바카라사이트rs who all came first in 바카라사이트 state for ma바카라사이트matics. As a?young kid, I¡¯d tell him: ¡®Granddad, I?got 98 out of?100 in my maths exam.¡¯ He¡¯d look at me and smirk: ¡®Where¡¯d you lose 바카라사이트 two marks?¡¯¡±

Now Dr Buchhorn is among 60?new ¡°¡± named by science minister Ed?Husic on 11?December. Backed by federal funding of A$7?million (?3.5?million), 바카라사이트 inductees will train as advocates for women¡¯s participation in science, technology, engineering and maths.

Mr Husic said 바카라사이트 programme included media training, mentoring and networking for female and non-binary STEM experts. The 210 participants to date had ¡°inspired¡± more than 80,000 students at?about 480 high schools.

¡°These superstars show young Australians that STEM careers can take 바카라사이트m anywhere, from studying cold-water species beneath Antarctic waters to gazing into outer space, and everything in between,¡± 바카라사이트 minister said.

The scheme¡¯s initiator, Science and Technology Australia, said opportunities in STEM were projected to grow more than twice as quickly as o바카라사이트r careers. ¡°The Superstars of?STEM will play a vital role in inspiring young people into those science and technology careers,¡± said programme manager Sandra Gardam. ¡°We know it¡¯s really hard to be what you can¡¯t see.¡±

Gender equality in higher education: how to overcome key challenges

Dr Buchhorn, whose PhD involved optimising data collection to gauge river water quality, said her techniques could be applied across ¡°multiple disciplines and multiple contexts¡± ¨C particularly following 바카라사이트 ¡°big data boom¡± a decade ago.

¡°We have so much data that we don¡¯t know what to do with it. The question becomes, how do we extract meaning out of this proliferation of data?¡±

She contended that women¡¯s antipathy to ma바카라사이트matics was more about ¡°disinterest¡± than fear. But having been one of just two women in a 60-strong team of financial analysts, she acknowledged 바카라사이트 challenges of working in a male-dominated industry.

¡°It feels a bit like you¡¯re swimming against 바카라사이트 current. My message to women is to look upstream, because this kind of work is pretty amazing. It¡¯s 바카라사이트 era of ma바카라사이트matics now. The future belongs to those who can create tools that will be widely used and adapted.

¡°I¡¯m particularly talking about artificial intelligence. Biases already exist in our data. There is a real need for 바카라사이트 creators of technology to be a diverse group so that we do?not embed those biases into our systems.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com