Women and science are a mighty duo at Horn Point Laboratory—now stronger than ever—with a newly formed chapter of Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS).
Direct from chapter members:
The Society for Women in Marine Science was brought to our attention while attending a conference last year, and we immediately knew our community at Horn Point Laboratory (HPL) would benefit from our own chapter. A quick look at the HPL directory shows that over 70% of the students are female, while only 30% of the faculty are female. This dichotomy between students and faculty was one of the main motivations behind our chapter, as one of our primary goals is to increase the retention of women in higher levels of marine science.
To date, our chapter consists of over 40 members including students, faculty, and other females in the surrounding environmental science community on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We have monthly meetings where we plan events, discuss recent studies, bring in speakers, attend happy hours, and just chat about the weather. The hope is that our chapter provides a welcoming environment to bring together marine scientists of all career levels to encourage, celebrate, and promote women in the marine science community.
While our chapter’s one-year anniversary is in April, we have been very busy! Last summer, we held a half-day workshop with the University of Maryland Human Resources that focused on leadership and how to have crucial conversations. We also hosted Kathy Quattrone, a co-owner of Chesapeake Seasons and a previous top programmer for the national Public Broadcasting Service and editorial head for Discovery’s Health Channel, to share her insight on communicating with confidence. Our very own Dr. Pat Gilbert shared her experiences and advice on work-life balance over wine and cheese. This coming year, we have plans for a professional development workshop, discussions with current faculty about Emotional Intelligence and mentorship, and, most excitingly, our very own DelMarVa SWMS Symposium organized jointly with the chapters at the University of Delaware and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science this coming Fall. We welcome anyone and everyone with open arms!
"Courage is like - it's habitus, a habit, a virtue: you get it by courageous acts. It's like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging." --Marie Daly, first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry and discovered the relationship between cholesterol and clogged arteries.
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