Top women scientists to scale girls’ schooling woes

Some of the top female scientists from across the country will be gathering for a conference in Bidar district on November 7 to tackle the problem of girls’ education.

They will be also submitting their findings and solutions to the government of India. The conference will take place at the 5th National Women’s Science Congress, organised by Swadeshi Vijnana Andolana-Karnataka.

About 250 of the country’s top women thinkers and scientists from institutions such as Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Karnatak University, Delhi Women’s University, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and more will meet and take part in various paper presentations and panel discussions.

“This event is women’s chapter of our organisation. For the past five years, we usually have one focal point throughout the conference wherein these women scientists will mull over certain issues and problems pertaining to them. This time around, the focus will be on a girl child’s education," says H Ramesh, general secretary, SVAK.

The panelists will discuss problems faced by girls from primary and secondary education to all the way to research. Then they will submit the final analysis to the government of India. The panel discussion will not be the only thing that will happen during the course of the conference, added Ramesh.

“Women scientists often do not have a platform to present their work. During this conference, the scientists will be presenting their research on everything from chemical biology and physical sciences to modern medicine, civil and aerospace engineering to electronic engineering. They will also present papers in arts such as music and speech and linguistic sciences,” he adds.

But it is not only about taking the work to a wider audience but also a chance for getting help from their peers, says Ramesh. “They will discuss about the current state of where their research is at and how they can take it forward,” he avers.

The conference will also recognise the work done by exceptional scientists such as Dr Tessy Thomas, a project director from AGNI missiles, Advanced Systems Lab, DRDO, Hyderabad, who will be awarded Marie Curie Mahila Vijnana Puraskara.