Dr. Mayra Castro is a Senior Editor for the Interdisciplinary Applied Science book program for Springer. She also covers the subject areas of Engineering, Nanotechnology, Materials Science, Bioengineering and Green Energy Technology
What have you seen as changes that have happened among women in STEM?
In the years since my chemistry undergraduate and Ph.D., some progress has been made, although considerable representation of females in the field is yet to be achieved. Certainly, this theme has been identified as important and vastly discussed throughout various media, which is a good starting point. It makes me glad to see women and men supportive of the cause advocating and speaking up about it. Strong networking and key collaboration seem also to be beneficial for moving forward in this sense.
What is one change that, in your opinion, would hugely benefit aspiring women scientists?
I believe seeing other women being recognized for their achievements would benefit. This includes more nominations for awards, appointments to permanent faculty positions, and invitations to act as chairs and plenary speakers at conferences. From a publishing perspective, it would be good to see more women as Editors-in-Chief of journals, authors of books, and members of boards. This would encourage others to believe that, yes, they can also achieve all this.
Could you recommend a few titles on this topic?
I had the pleasure to publish Laura Bassi and Science in 18th Century Europe a few years ago. It was written by Professor Monique Frize, Distinguished Research Professor, Carleton University and Professor Emerita, University of Ottawa and tells the inspirational story of the first woman appointed as Professor in Europe, Laura Bassi.
The book series Women in Engineering and Science highlights women’s accomplishments in those fields.
Mom the Chemistry Professor provides personal accounts of the rewards and challenges of combining motherhood with an academic career in chemistry.
