‘Women scientists need better support system’

In 2020, when scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, it was considered as a rarity. Before them, no team of solely women had received a Nobel in the field of science. Back home, the field of science, especially research and academic science, has been dominated by men, the glaring gender disparity being acknowledged every now and then. Ask Dr Inderjit Kaur, an academic scientist and associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, GNDU, and she has a quick response. “It is because women in science have to deal with general lack of support at home front and social pressures. As a scientist and a woman, I feel upset to share that a woman scientist can achieve the best in her career before she gets married,” she shares as a matter of fact.

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With 15 years of career as an academic scientist behind her, Dr Inderpreet is the recipient of the Better Opportunities for Young Scientists in Chosen Areas of Science and Technology (BOYCAST) fellowship in 2012, which is one of the prominent science programme awarded to Indian scientists by the Department Of Science and Technology, GOI.

She has worked on seven research projects, current one being valuation of airborne heavy metal pollution of surface dust and tolerance of existing landscape plant species in the urban areas of Amritsar. She has published several research papers in international journals, and recently one of her students, Dr Sarabjeet Kaur, has won the Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship for a period of one year and will be working in UK in the field of nanotechnology.

Despite her achievements as a scientist, Dr Inderpeet shares that a hostile environment at home and work is what greets most women scientists. “When I was given the BOYCAST fellowship, I was invited to work in the UK for a year on a project. I had a small kid at the time and most members of family discouraged me to go to the UK and take care of my child first. Luckily, my husband, who is in IT sector, supported me and pushed me to take up the opportunity. But most girls or women, in field of science, are not that lucky,” she says.

As for her students, which comprises more girls than boys, Dr Inderpreet encourages them to not give up on their dreams and goals. “Of course, my students feel the pressures that I once dealt with, whether its about getting married or motherhood, gender bias at work or home, but as a mentor, I have to stimulate them to remain focused on their work.”

She had teamed up with Dr Sarabjeet for a research project on detecting heavy metals in water, devised membranes and columns to separate uranium from water. She has been working on a project in collaboration with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre to monitor heavy metal percentage in soils and underground water in Punjab. She was also part of team of scientists working on environmental monitoring of the Ropar wetland.

She feels that the women representation in field of science can only be increased when social and institutional stereotypes will be broken. “We need to track and back the potential of women scientists, provide conducive social support to them so they do not have to choose between work or family.”

Neha Saini

AWWA’s exhibition to mark Women’s Day

In order to commemorate International Women Day 2022, a theme-based exhibition called “Indradhanush Aasmaan ki Aur’’ is being organised by the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) of the Panther Division under Vajra Corps at Khalsa College. The two-day exhibition displays handicrafts prepared by a team of women with the purpose of raising funds for building support for social responsibility activities. The products put on display and sale include handicraft and paper-made items.