#WomenInScience: Five Caribbean women leading innovation

By Rhe-Ann Prescod  and Carol A. Gaskin 

“Women and girls belong in science. Yet stereotypes have steered women and girls away from science-related fields. It is time to recognize that greater diversity fosters greater innovation.”

 

United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres.

“Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19” is the theme for the 2021  observance of International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

As the United Nations, its myriad global partners, and women and girls around the world  today mark this important milestone, they are fittingly recognizing the major contribution being made by women scientists in fighting this global pandemic as well as in other spheres.

One thing is clear – the world needs science.

What is equally apparent is that science and gender equality are both vital to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Yet, within the scientific field, glaring gender disparities remain , which threaten to undermine the attainment of the SDGs,  particularly SDGs 5 and 10 which promote gender equality and empowering women and girls as well as reducing inequalities.

Globally, according to UNESCO 30 per cent or only one third of researchers worldwide are women , only 30 per cent of all students enrolled in STEM- related fields of higher education are women. Furthermore, women occupy fewer senior positions than men at top universities.

Despite this, women, and girls here in the Caribbean and further afield, including those blazing the trail in COVID-19 research, continue to make significant strides in the STEM field, and their achievements must be highlighted and celebrated.

So, on a day dedicated to their honour, we throw the spotlight on five upcoming Caribbean women leading innovation in STEM, whose work is inspiring women and girls in the Caribbean and beyond.    

Courtnae Bailey

Courtnae's love for the environment and nature could be considered a birth right. Raised by a family of farmers on the island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, she says that a typical “desk job” never crossed her mind. Instead, she explains, she wanted to “do what the men were doing” and ultimately developed a love for math and geography.

“Growing up in the Caribbean where we are exposed to multiple hazards, being able to learn and understand more about volcanoes, hurricanes and earthquakes excited me. This laid the foundation for my academic journey,” she explains.

Courtnae has completed two master’s degrees, one in Hydrology and Water Resources Management and the other in Climate Change Management and Finance. She is currently a Commonwealth PhD scholar at Imperial College London, and her research  explores how to increase private finance for climate change adaption in Small Island Developing States(SIDS).

“My continued inspiration and motivation for each path I took in this field was based on my desire to make a difference and contribute solutions to the challenges facing the region,” says Courtnae.

Daricia Wilkinson

Sharing a similar vision to use her scientific talents to benefit the people of the Caribbean, Daricia's work is focused on designing online safety tools for vulnerable groups in the Caribbean. Her research philosophy incorporates human attributes into the design and development of meaningful solutions.

Born and raised in St. Kitts and Nevis, Daricia’s passion for people was a driving force behind the  attainment of a PhD in Human Centered Computing, one of her many achievements in the TECH field.

“My interest in computer science wasn’t inspired by technology at all, rather, a quest to help people. That informed my decision to major in Information Systems and Technology. I needed a program that wasn’t completely focused on programming but considered problems from a socio-technical perspective,” she underlines.

In 2019, Daricia received a  Facebook PhD Fellowship and a Google Women TechMakers Scholar. In 2020, she was also awarded a FRIDA Open Internet Grant.

Though she has made remarkable strides within her field, like most of her peers, this has come with some challenges.

“I have been in many rooms where I was the only woman or person of color. It could be intimidating when you feel like you are not represented. However, that is a source of motivation for me to make sure that minority experiences are included in the design of systems, and to create opportunities for more people who look like me to join me at the table,” Darcia explains.

Danielle Bartholomew

Danielle can relate firsthand to feeling unrepresented in her field on multiple level.

 “The fact that I'm a woman of color sometimes gives rise to intimidation when being the minority in my environment. Thankfully, thus far, I've been surrounded by males who are supportive and do not single me out for being a woman,” she says.

Danielle grew up in the Spice isle, Grenada, with dreams of becoming a doctor. In 2014, she migrated to the United States to purse these dreams with the hopes of specializing in neurosurgery. However, she decided to study her “backup plan”.

One of her inspirations, a woman of color and neurosurgeon, had studied medical engineering at the undergraduate level. On learning that US medical schools did not require specific undergraduate degrees for admission, Danielle decided to explore her interest in STEM. Fast forward a few years, she completed her degree in medical engineering and became the first-ever Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Scholar at her university. Danielle is currently a mechanical engineer in New York City for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“If more Caribbean women in STEM are aware of the contributions that other Caribbean women in STEM are making and have made, they would realize that there is no limit to what we can achieve,” she maintains.

It is with this sentiment that Danielle co-founded STEM Caribbean, a digital news platform which aims to educate, enlighten, and entertain anyone interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Jerelle Joesph

Jerelle Joseph also believes that it is paramount for young aspiring scientist to have access to the correct support and mentorship to guide them along their journey. This is one of the reasons why she founded CariScholar; an organization that connects Caribbean students to mentors in their field of study. 

“Young girls need STEM mentors who can relate to them. I think that mentors and support networks are invaluable in shaping the experience and outlook of girls/women in STEM,” she opines.  

As a Gates Cambridge Scholar, Jerelle obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge. She is currently a Research Fellow in Physical and Chemical Sciences focusing on developing computational approaches to investigate how the interior of cells are organized.

 Growing up in Dominica, Jerelle first discovered her love for scientific research from her teachers and lecturers. However, this love was cemented when she did a theoretical chemistry research project with Professor McDowell at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

During her journey, Jerelle faced some challenges with imposter syndrome. Early in her career she felt very out of place in many scientific settings.

“I really struggled to reassure myself that I deserved to be in these spaces. However, the imposter syndrome, though it never fully leaves, does lessen with time; as you become more confident in yourself and forge relationships with other women in STEM,” she explains.

 Kerri-Ann Bovell

Kerri-Ann supports the view and firmly believes it is important to showcase the work of women scientists  in the Caribbean so that young girls can see it as a viable career path.

“We need to normalise the image of women in lab coats, behind a microscope or in diving/exploration gear. It is a bit ironic that women shy away from science because you would expect women to be the most interested in science given that we are the main consumers of household and beauty products/gadgets, which are all created through science,” she contends.

With a BA in chemistry, Kerri-Ann’s goal is to improve Barbados’ blue and green economy. In 2019, she was a semi-finalist in Climate Launchpad, the world’s largest green business competition held in Amsterdam. She was also a top performer in the UNDP Blue Lab “Blue Tank” Program and in 2020 her start-up EcoMycö was also selected to be a member of Bloom Cleantech Cluster. This is the first cluster of its kind in the entire region sponsored by Barbados Investment and Development Corporation and UNIDO.

Kerri-Ann is very spiritual and believes she wouldn’t have had many breakthroughs in her career path without the help of God. As a young aspiring scientist herself, she advises others to depend on that spiritual guidance, but also to make reading and critical thinking a habit.

“By reading research journals, articles, books, and blogs, you open the doors of opportunity and you get to see what else is out there in the vast world that we live in,” she explains.

 In this vast world, we need more female representation in STEM-related fields and within society. In our mission to achieve the 2030 agenda, reducing inequalities is priority as we cannot build a better future without inclusivity.

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. In his message to mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science, UN Secretary General, António Guterres contended:

“Without more women in STEM, the world will continue to be designed by and for men, and the potential of girls and women will remain untapped. We must ensure that girls have access to the education they deserve and that they can see a future for themselves in engineering, computer programming, cloud technology, robotics, and health sciences. This is critical for our work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The UN Chief noted that increasing women’s participation in STEM can close the gender pay gap and boost women’s  earnings by $299 billion over the next ten years.

To accelerate progress towards reducing inequalities in the pursuit of STEM, the United Nations will be hosting the 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly . The theme of the virtual event  will be ‘Beyond the Borders: Equality in Science for Society,’ with a special focus on the value of the social aspects and cultural dimensions in Science, Technology, and Innovation to enhance sustainable development programmes.