Designated by the United Nations, the 9^th International Day of Women and Girls in Science is Sunday, February 11, preceded by two days of meetings, presentations and outreach among global leaders, with a focus on women scientific leadership in sustainable development.

The real work, of course, is what happens afterward. Women continue to be underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. In 2021, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 65% of STEM jobs in the United States were held by men, 35% by women. Less than 30% of researchers worldwide are women.

These numbers have long held sway, both in academia and industry. There has been progress, to be sure, but it has been slow and uneven, hindered by stereotypes and biases, a dearth of role models, educational differences and opportunities and sheer inertia. The hurdles to equity and equality are deep and ingrained.

Every female scientist has stories about their own efforts and struggles. We asked scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys to recount some of theirs, the lessons learned and the challenges yet to be overcome.
 

A fighting chance

My personal experience can testify to the importance of appreciation of diversity.

As an international scholar, it was not always easy to navigate an entirely new culture. I remember my first few months in America when going to a restaurant felt like a small adventure. Now I look back to those days with fondness and gratitude because my mentor and colleagues showed me what an inclusive community means to a newcomer.

They encouraged my expression, valued my input and always waited with great patience when I needed a second or two to fetch a perfect word for the moment. It was their kindness that helped me through the initial adjustment period.

And then one day, I found the sense of belonging in a roaring ballpark with my lab mates around me, rooting for Giants. I am grateful that I was shown how “diversity” is done because that is exactly how I aspire to build a team in my future lab, a team where uniqueness is not only accepted but even celebrated so everyone can be at ease as themselves and feels free to explore and express no matter where they are from and what they believe.

While it is important to level the playing field for everyone, sometimes it will not suffice for a disadvantaged group until we vigorously advocate for their rights. As a woman scientist, it pains me that I have witnessed over the years so many brilliant young women who had to stop chasing their dreams at one point or another. They let go of their passion and settled for less ambitious career paths for various reasons: lack of mentorship, family responsibilities and even the pressure of conforming to social norms.

I know how hard it is to achieve success in the highly competitive realm of scientific pursuit while managing a functional family because I am too a mother of two young children. Our society asks women to juggle too many balls. It is no wonder that far fewer
women reach the promised land of professorship when roughly equal numbers of students of
both genders started out on this journey.

I consider it rare fortune that I have been blessed with constant guidance from mentors and unwavering support from family. It will be my mission to pass on this blessing to all the women I have the honor to work with in the future. A fighting chance is all they ask, and I will strive to be the helping hand that delivers that chance.

Shengjie Feng, PhD
Assistant Professor
Degenerative Diseases Program
 

Mentors make a difference

Even though gender inequities in STEM are slowly improving, we still have a lot of work to do. Several studies have shown that among early career investigators, women experience a one-to-two delay in getting their first grants funded, publish fewer high-impact papers and get credited and cited less frequently for their work, as compared to men. I believe that creating awareness and building a supportive network of mentors and peers is extremely important to navigate and overcome the challenges we face in science.

I have always been fascinated by the complex mechanisms underlying disease, and specifically cancer. I was the first woman in my family to attend university and to pursue a PhD degree in the biomedical sciences.

With few women in leading academic positions that could serve as a role model, I found it difficult to believe that I could someday be successful as a scientist. Fortunately, over the past years I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible female scientists who helped me along the way.

During my master’s program at Utrecht University, I secured an internship in the laboratory of the late-Professor Zena Werb at University of California San Francisco. She had an incredible track record of mentoring early career researchers and was a big advocate for (young) women in science.

For my graduate training, I joined the lab of Professor Karin de Visser at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. Karin is an incredibly smart and determined principal investigator who taught me to be resilient and persistent, and the importance of always following the data. The mentorship and support of these remarkable women has been instrumental in the decisions I have made to date in my career, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have trained under them.

We all need some support and encouragement to excel in our scientific journey. It’s never too early to start building your network of mentors, peers and sponsors to support you along the way.

Kelly Kersten, PhD
Assistant Professor
Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program
 

We’re still a minority

During my PhD and postdoctoral training, I have been lucky to have two amazing female scientists as mentors, who made it seem easy to be successful in science. The reality however is that female scientists get less lab space, have a longer path to their first independent research grant and have a more extended review process for their publications than their male peers.

To achieve equitable treatment and full inclusion of women in science, we have to constantly examine and dismantle the barriers that create these disparities. At Sanford Burnham Prebys, we have started to work toward a more welcoming environment for everyone, including women.

The truth is, however, that we’re still a minority here, and we, as women in science, still have to push for fairer policies and to make sure our voices are heard and valued. Personally, I am involved in outreach programs to get young girls excited about science. Seeing their excitement when they learn something new in the lab reminds me why this is so important, and I get excited when I see the next generation of girls who can see themselves as scientists without a second thought.

Caroline Kumsta, PhD
Assistant Professor
Development, Aging and Regeneration Program
 

Note: On February 14, there will be a roundtable discussion on the topic of women and girls in science from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in Fishman Auditorium. Coffee, pastries and fruit will be served. Click here to RSVP.

Conversations around diversity and inclusion are abundant in academic institutions, but one group in particular—the LGBTQ+ community—is frequently left out of those conversations. 

June is LGBT+ Pride month, but San Diego has made it a local tradition to continue the celebration into July, when the city hosts its annual Pride Festival. This year’s San Diego Pride Festival will be held July 15-16. Pride celebrations around the world give people and institutions alike the opportunity to reflect on the unique struggles of the LGBTQ+ community and consider how we can support these individuals to the benefit of all.

To learn more about the struggles of LGBTQ+ people in the scientific community, we spoke to Sanford Burnham Prebys postdoctoral associate Luca Caputo, PhD Caputo is the cofounder of Queer Science Society San Diego, whose mission is to raise awareness of the concerns of queer scholars in STEM. They are a frequent speaker on LGBTQ+ issues in STEM, most recently at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park, where they are included in their New Science exhibition. Caputo is also involved in DEI initiatives here at the Institute, where they helped spearhead our first-ever Pride flag raising last year. 

Why is LGBTQ+ considered the “invisible minority” in STEM? 

The reason why the LGBTQ+ community is an invisible minority is not because there are no queer scientists or STEM professionals. Rather, it’s because there’s a huge lack of data about queer representation in the scientific community. This community has historically not asked for this data, so queer people are not represented in reports and statistics about minority representation. This is not just a data problem—it can prevent LGBTQ+ people from feeling like they belong in STEM. 

Have you personally experienced this?

The lack of representation of queer scientists during my earlier studies had me questioning my belonging in STEM and academia, and the lack of data and discourse around these issues only made it worse. I was lucky and privileged to later encounter great mentors who made me feel welcome and appreciated for everything I am, not only for my pipetting skills. However, not everybody is so lucky.

What needs to happen to correct this problem?

Institutions that track demographic data for scientists and STEM students need to be more inclusive in their methods. This is slowly starting to change—one great example is that the National Science Foundation is finally including questions on sexuality, orientation and gender identity in its Survey of Earned Doctorates, but this is just one small step forward. 

There are still major societal problems affecting queer people in academia, such as unfair U.S. immigration laws that don’t acknowledge same-sex partnerships as marriages for visa purposes. These laws keep talent away from the U.S. or pose an unfair economic burden to same-sex couples, as they will need to travel abroad and navigate complex legislation to get married and be recognized. 

In the meantime, what can non-queer allies do to support the LGBTQ+ community in STEM?

One important thing is being responsive and listening to what members of the community have to say. An easy example is to normalize and respect the sharing of pronouns in email signatures and in Zoom meetings. This will help create a welcoming atmosphere and an environment that will allow LGBTQ+ individuals to safely come out and be confident and comfortable. 

On a more institutional level, many steps can be taken to make workplaces more welcoming, such as having all-gender-inclusive restrooms and honoring Pride months with concrete gestures, like holding Pride events. It’s also important not to wait for members of the LGBTQ+ community to ask for these gestures. These are all approaches that can be translated to being allies to any underrepresented group in STEM, not just the LGBTQ+ community.

How does being more inclusive benefit the scientific community as a whole?

It benefits the community in so many ways. For example, the amount of talent in the scientific community will increase exponentially. Having different point of views will increase our ability to find new cures for diseases and solutions to other real-world problems. Additionally, we have an ethical obligation to make the community inclusive and representative of the whole population, because most basic research is paid for by the entire public via taxes and charitable donations. Finally, increasing inclusivity will also improve the relationship between the scientific community and the general population, as marginalized communities will be able to see their needs and perspectives represented.