Could shining a light on the central role of creativity and collaboration in science be key to addressing the gender imbalance in STEM? We spoke to three scientists who believe misconceptions about a career in STEM could be holding girls back.
“You have to be creative — you start with a blank page and imagine the future you want to create,” says Ijeoma Uchegbu, professor of pharmaceutical nanoscience at UCL (University College London).
Uchegbu began by sketching the molecule she wanted to create in the lab — since then she’s helped build a novel means of distributing drugs within the human body, at the right time and place and in the right dose.
Fellow scientist and physicist Dr Jess Wade has always rejected what she considers a false distinction between arts and ‘sciencey’ types. Although she was destined to study physics, she considers herself creative. Dr Wade studied art for a year, marvelling at the breadth of scope of Renaissance art and the influence of science. “Today there’s a very prescriptive view of arts and sciences and it’s unfair for young people. They might think science and engineering leave no room for creativity.”
Dr Wade still thinks creatively more than ever — visualising the molecules she works with and how they transport electricity or interact with light. They’re too small to see through a microscope. “We need to be more imaginative in how we communicate the significance of materials and chemistry in everyday technology in order to inspire people.”
Science requires imagination, says Shakila Bik, a chemistry graduate and director of scientific and regulatory affairs for L’Oréal UK & Ireland. “You couldn’t separate scientific and creative thinking — they are intrinsically linked and valued.”
While L’Oréal Groupe is a company rooted in science — founded 110 years ago by a chemist — experts there couldn’t create new products and breakthroughs without some original thinking, Ms Bik believes, and that requires a range of different people and views.
Ms Bik points to the support L’Oréal Groupe gives to widen the field to redress the gender imbalance in science with its longstanding partnership with UNESCO to run the For Women In Science awards, which target female scientists at an early stage in their academic careers.
If young people knew the extent of collaboration required within science they might not be so put off, Dr Wade believes. “The idea of the lone genius working in a dusty room is out of date and probably never existed.”
For the many young people who lack mentors and role models, there’s a dire need for better science communication, particularly within her field of new material technology. “We have a responsibility to communicate our findings with the people — the public — who are paying for it, and also to inspire a new generation of people from different backgrounds.”