Local students reach for the stars on International Day of Women and Girls in Science

By Jessica Durston - 10 February 2022

EducationSecondary

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy say today's (11 Feb) International Day of Women and Girls in Science helps female students understand that the career opportunities in science are endless.

Staff at Royal Wootton Bassett say girls at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy now outnumber the boy students in two out of three A Level science subjects. Girls account for 28 of the 39 sixth form biology students, and of the 34 chemistry students, 22 are girls.

Key Stage 5 Science co-ordinator and professional tutor Amy Cameron says that before the pandemic she and her colleagues were able to offer girls opportunities to see how they are just as able to succeed in science-based careers as boys are.

Dr Cameron said: “In the past, broadly speaking, science subjects have tended to attract more boys than girls, and that’s particularly true of physics.

“We’ve been on a mission for some years to show girls that some of our greatest scientists have been women, and to get them excited about the impact that they could have on the planet and humanity if they choose science subjects.

“Before travel restrictions came in we took them to CERN to meet scientists there and see the Large Hadron Collider, and we invited women scientists to come in to talk about their work and how they reached the top of their game. Covid restrictions including lockdown and home-schooling obviously prevented that, but as restrictions ease we’ll be going full steam ahead to get our future female young scientists ready for exciting and rewarding careers.”

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy, which is part of the Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust, says it begins encouraging girls to engage with science as soon as they join the school in Year 7. Science teacher Stephanie Mortimer runs the school’s science club, which meets after school once a week.

Ms Mortimer said: “We are passionate here about making sure girls have the same chance as boys to become confident young scientists.

“With challenges such as climate change, the global need for renewable energies, world-wide collaboration to prevent further pandemics, space exploration and medical advances, our planet undoubtedly needs all the good scientists it can get.

“There is no reason why our students can’t follow in the footsteps of people like Marie Curie, Dorothy Hodgkin, Rosalind Franklin and Jocelyn Bell Burnell, and we are determined to support them as much as we can.”

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