The Royal Society of Victoria and Inspiring Victoria are delighted to congratulate the eight Victorian recipients of major grants in support of events for National Science Week in August 2024! Many of this year’s projects support diversity and inclusion in science, allocating grant funding from $2,000 to $20,000 for individuals, groups and organisations across the nation.
Because gender stereotypes have portrayed certain STEMM fields as masculine, leading to fewer women studying and working in STEMM, these fields tend to sustain exclusionary, male-dominated cultures that are not supportive of or attractive to women and other underrepresented groups. It is a perpetual cycle that we need to break.
How might the challenges of belonging faced by queer scientists shape their unique contributions? Why do we continue to erase their histories from the narrative of scientific discovery? Uncovering hidden figures combats the ongoing lie that only a narrow few can do great science. They offer a powerful counter-narrative to the myth that science is the domain of straight, cis, white men.
Professor Caroline McMillen has led and facilitated collaborations focused on delivering a positive impact on the economic, social and cultural health of Australia throughout her career. She is an active champion for science, innovation and technology, particularly for girls and women in science, and was a Member of the Expert Advisory Group for Science in Australia and Gender Equity (SAGE).
The current rate of temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is almost unprecedented in Earth’s entire 4.5-billion-year geological history. The only other time global temperatures and conditions changed this dramatically was when an asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago, famously triggering an age of mass extinction and a rapid increase of 5 °C in global temperatures that lasted for roughly 100,000 years.
