1. You have 3 minutes to draw:
an astrophysicist
a geologist
an AIDs researcher
an astronaut

2. Did any of them look like this?
Image from Audioboom RNIB Health and Science
Image property of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the estate of Marie Tharp, retrieved from
Did any of them look like this?
Why do you think your picture is similar/different?
Image from Natural Sciences - , CC BY-SA 2.0,
Image from 100 Women: Seven trailblazing women in science, © NASA

3. Write three questions about each woman.
Wanda Diaz-Merced  Opening up astronomy to a generation of blind students.
Marie Tharp  First scientist to map the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
Write three questions about each woman.
Quarraisha Abdool Karim Known for her many contributions to AIDs research
Peggy Whitson First science officer aboard the International Space Station

4. Marie Tharp First scientist to map the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
Wanda Diaz-Merced  Opening up astronomy to a generation of blind students.
Marie Tharp  First scientist to map the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
Find out the answers.
Quarraisha Abdool Karim Known for her many contributions to AIDs research
Peggy Whitson First science officer aboard the International Space Station

5. Match the numbers to the statistics.5%
8-16%
17%
30%
80%
85.5%
The percentage of female Wikipedia editors
The percentage of Wikipedia biographies about women
The percentage of registered engineers and technicians in the UK who are women
The percentage of female science researchers in Myanmar
The percentage of female science researchers around the world
The percentage of male university vice chancellors in the UK 
Statistics from: and

6. Match the numbers to the statistics.5%
8-16%
17%
30%
80%
85.5%
17% - The percentage of female Wikipedia editors
30% - The percentage of Wikipedia biographies about women
5% - The percentage of registered engineers and technicians in the UK who are women
85.5% - The percentage of female science researchers in Myanmar
30% - The percentage of female science researchers around the world
80% - The percentage of male university vice chancellors in the UK 
Statistics from: and

7. Why aren’t there more women in science?
5 minutes: how many reasons can you and your partner think of?

8. Why aren’t there more women in science?
I got the highest grades, and there were a lot of boys in that class well below average. It never bothered them that their achievements and academic levels were below standard. It really bothered the girls.
Girls underestimate themselves, so like-for-like ability, girls and boys will rate themselves at different levels from about the age of 10, and it goes down from there.
Engineering has been a very sexist industry for a long time. I still meet women who […] got their physics or engineering degree, and when they applied for jobs, even though they did just as well as everyone else, the boys got more call backs.
Students have historically looked at a physicist and seen middle-aged white men, and that’s the perception of what a physicist is. 
Quotes from:

9. Why is a lack of diversity in science a problem?
Think of 3 reasons.

10. Why is a lack of diversity in science a problem?
medical research mostly based on males
incorrectly sized equipment = unsafe
perpetuates lack of diversity
limited range of experiences

11. How can we increase diversity?
Brainstorm as many ideas as you can.

12. confidence-building schemes childcare provision
science ambassadors, e.g. female teens going to primary schools to talk about science
confidence-building schemes
childcare provision
more Wikipedia pages about female scientists
female LEGO scientist figures
representation at every level, e.g. professors department heads
“positive discrimination”
sharing stories e.g. BBC #100women
publish studies on discrimination
rewards for equality e.g. UK Athena Swan scheme
flexible working schedules e.g. part-time, job share
using more diverse images in media
journalists ensuring male-female balance in citations
diversity quotas
Choose the 3 things that will make the most difference. Say why.

13. More information
science/
diversity-undermine-science/?redirect=1
Cancelled all female spacewalk: trending
scientist-set/