PSANA and NATHouse held their 1st Women in Science seminar on Thursday 29 August. The event was aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students in NAS and invited speakers were from industry, as well as academia (postgraduates and staff). Invited speakers were Fhatuwani Nemakhavhani, the first black female actuary from UP. Andrea Wilson from the Department of Biochemstry, Genetics and Microbiology is a PhD candidate, whereas Fiona Mumaki from the Department of Zoology and Entomology is a recent PhD graduate. Both Andrea and Fiona  are recipients of the L'Oreal-UNESCO research fellowships. Dr Christel Hansen is the recipient of the SSAG Centenary Award and a lecturer in the Geoinformatics division of our Department. Professor Lubuma, outgoing dean of NAS, opened the seminar with a welcome to the audience. 

Although the intake of women in NAS is high, many leave the sciences before or after completion of their degree. The idea of the seminar was aimed at inspiring the audience to stay with their studies, to continue onward, to show the relevance of science to our society today. The speakers, by illustrating their journeys and experiences, aimed to encourage and inspire the talented and passionate women (and men) of the audience.

Dr Christel Hansen, like the other speakers, spoke about her journey, the challenges and opportunities she has faced and received, how science, research and teaching inspires her and her view of the future for women in science. It was a great event (have a look at our gallery) and we hope that it will be hosted again next year.