The international symposium "Women in Science and Education: Sustainable Society Led by Female Researchers," hosted by Kobe University, was held on December 19, 2011, at the Rokko Hall of the Kobe University Centennial Hall. Project Assistant Professor Yuka Morioka from the Institute for Genetic Disease Control, Project Assistant Professor Eri Sakuta from the Faculty of Science, and Project Assistant Professor Faina Garcia from the Institute for Advanced Biosciences participated from Kobe University.
At this symposium, Ms. S. Gulser Corat, Director of the Gender Equality Section at UNESCO, gave a lecture entitled "Where are the Women? Gender Equality in Science and Education." She discussed the barriers women face in building careers in science, drawing on cultural backgrounds in various countries, and introduced the importance of educating girls to become the next generation of scientists, linking it to UNESCO programs. There was also encouragement for Japanese universities and other higher education institutions that are working to support female researchers, as well as for female researchers themselves.
Next, Professor E. Ann Nalley, a professor at Cameron University and president of the American Chemical Society in 2006, gave a lecture entitled "Leadership Among Women in Science in the USA." Professor Nalley reflected on her research career to date, discussing the challenges she has faced and how she overcame them, the difficulties of work-life balance, the importance of role models, and women taking on leadership roles, all based on her own experiences.
In addition to the above, there was a lecture by Yoshie Soma, Special Advisor to Kobe University, and a panel discussion. The exchange of opinions with the speakers and with the Kobe University staff, who, like our university, are working on the "Accelerating the Reform of the Female Researcher Training System" project funded by the Grant for the Development of Science and Technology Human Resources, proved to be very fruitful.
(Fukaya)
