Push to Address Long-Standing Challenges for Parents in STEMM

The organizers behind a Mothers in Science conference say that it’s time academia provide more support to researchers who are pregnant or looking after children.

Written byAmanda Heidt

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At first glance, this year’s inaugural Mothers in Science conference would have looked familiar to anyone who has attended a professional event in the last year: it was remote due to the pandemic, speakers fidgeted with their mute buttons, and more than one person revealed themselves to be wearing sweatpants.

But throughout the daylong event, held on May 8, it would quickly have become clear that this event was something unique. Ryan Watkins, a planetary scientist and program manager at NASA, spoke from her home in St. Louis, framed by a virtual background of a human landing capsule. Towards the end of her presentation, a disembodied hand pierced the capsule’s window; in reality, the arm belonged to her youngest daughter, who was home sick. Watkins finished her presentation on the barriers faced by mothers in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) while ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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