12:00, 11 February 2021
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science when people around the world will be encouraging equality in science and related fields. To mark the event, global chemical and ingredients distributor Univar Solutions has launched a campaign, (S)heroes Wear Lab Coats, to highlight the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Showcasing the important work of their female specialists around the world, Univar Solutions will also use the occasion to encourage girls to consider a career in these fields and support the work of organisations worldwide to further this cause.
"As a father of three young women, I hope this campaign will help inspire a new network of allies for women's representation and recognition in science," said Dr Andrew Mint, director of global solution centres and strategic business development at the company.
He continued: “I am very proud of the impact we can make in inspiring young women to become a meaningful part of our next generation of scientists. Women at Univar Solutions stand at the forefront of discovery and formulation excellence as well as help operate our facilities that enable scientists and technical teams to conduct experiments that are unique to the industries and markets we serve."
Inspiring future scientists, engineers and more, the company put together a video explaining the work of their female experts in STEM fields and the vital contribution young women could make to these areas of work.
Featuring in the video, Dr Dejana Drew, their director technical solutions, said: "Every day, women like me are making discoveries and developing technical innovations that help solve our customers' toughest challenges and improve our world.
“I'm proud that our global Solution Centers are hubs of formulation innovation as well as progress toward equality, with women representing nearly 50 per cent of our technical team. As a company, we have an ongoing commitment to promote diversity, equality and inclusion, and the innovation that comes with supporting more women in STEM careers."
With women facing many social barriers to entering STEM professions, the campaign focuses on a particularly pertinent issue. Only around 30 per cent of the world’s researchers are women, so they are vastly underrepresented in such an important field where their contribution is vital to ensuring discoveries are free from gender biases.
You can help drive the changes needed to open up more opportunities to women in these fields. Thanks to the campaign, anyone can be a hero to young girls simply by downloading, liking, commenting on or sharing the (S)heroes content, or participating in a (S)heroes event, from the official campaign page, YouTube channel or LinkedIn page. For each action, the company will make a $1 donation (up to $25,000 in total) to STEM programs and organizations around the world.
For more information visit univarsolutions.com/sheroeswearlabcoats
