Supporting, encouraging and empowering girls and women to build a successful career path in the STEM field (S-science, T-echnology, E-ngeneering, M-athematics). Scientists from the University of Maribor shared their thoughts with us.

11 February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The names of 11 very often mentioned female scientists are:

Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Ada Lovelace, Barbara McClintock, Gertrude Elion, Alice Ball, Katherine Johnson, Maria Goeppert Mayer, Elizabeth Blackwell, Jane Goodall, Jane Cooke Wright.

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we celebrate the achievements of all women and girls in science, who for centuries have contributed significantly to the scientific community and thus to extraordinary progress. The day was declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015. This year’s eighth UN Assembly puts in foreground the motto: “Encouraging Sustainable and Equitable Development for All” and the acronym I.D.E.A.S. ( Innovate. Demonstrate. Elevate. Advance. Sustain.).

Especially in the fields of natural sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (the so-called STEM fields) there has been a significant gender gap for a long time. According to data on the United Nations website, approximately one third of all researchers worldwide are female researchers. However, in areas that have recently experienced important and top-notch breakthroughs, the proportion of women is even smaller (only about a fifth).

At the University of Maribor, we strive to identify potential obstacles that young girls face when deciding to study in these fields (e.g. breaking down hindering stereotypes). It is important that girls are supported and encouraged to explore career opportunities in these key disciplines as early as childhood and adolescence.

Many female scientists and successful students of the University of Maribor in the fields of STEM are an example to young people of how achievable these goals are. Prof. Jana Ambrožič Dolinšek and assistant dr. Tina Kegl shared their thoughts with us. We believe they can encourage girls to explore new ideas about choosing a career path.

I am a biologist and I am interested in living things and life, more specifically the growth and development of organisms through photosynthesis, i.e., plants and algae. I do research on interesting things myself. I am involved in research on in vitro procedures for the reproduction, protection and freezing of rare, protected or endangered plant species, in research on the potential of various aquatic plants and fast-growing terrestrial plants for detoxification of the environment polluted by various heavy metals and other trace elements, and in the development bioreactor system for the production of astaxanthin in the algae Haematococcus pluvialis. I am not the best, the fastest, or the most successful at my job. But I am definitely hard-working and persistent, just like when I was grafting roses at home and at uncle Ciril’s and at volleyball training in my youth. Despite this, or precisely because of this, I am very proud of him.

Work is the most fulfilling if it makes you happy, when you feel the desire to do exactly that. It is also important to maintain your original curiosity. As the motto of the Mini University in Maribor says, “Curiosity is the highway to knowledge”. In my work, I feel that genuine passion and the challenge of the journey into the unknown, when I wonder how and where an idea or research problem will lead, how I will solve it, what the implementation will be and what the result will be. How a plant organism will react in changed conditions, circumstances and conditions. Yes, I’m curious. I like challenges. I like to work and I am persistent. So I am definitely a happy person!

Surely none of this would have happened without cooperation. First of all, cooperation with mentors, then with colleagues at work and outside it. I am very lucky to be surrounded by genuinely curious and inquisitive colleagues and students. None of this would have been possible without my family. They are my support and harbor, It a relationship of giving and receiving, and without my family I would not be who I am.

Therefore, my message to female researchers would be “Be curious, follow challenges, do what makes you happy, be yourself and find your own path and follow it persistently and diligently!”. You will certainly encounter obstacles on your way. Get through them with the optimism “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”. Let me conclude with the words of the wonderful Naomi Osaka “I don’t think there is a completely right path through life, but I have always felt that if a person moves forward with good intentions, he will always find his own path.” That way you will be satisfied and successful in life and research.

prof. dr. Jana Ambrožič-Dolinšek

29-year-old Tina Kegl is employed as a researcher and PhD assistant in the Laboratory for Process System Engineering and Sustainable Development at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of the University of Maribor. As part of her scientific research work, she deals with process modeling and optimization in various fields: renewable energy sources, waste management, nanotechnology, anaerobic digestion, CCUS technology, and advanced osmosis and membrane distillation. The results of her work have so far been published in prestigious international journals, which is proof that her work represents a current and original contribution to science.

“The quality of our lives largely depends on the work we do. I can confirm from my own experience that the work of a scientist is extremely diverse, interesting, satisfying and always brings new challenges. Although you will encounter many obstacles on your way to becoming a scientist, never give up. Overcoming obstacles is part of learning and personal growth. Persistence, desire and will will lead you to success. Be one of the many women who direct the future by creating the conditions for a better tomorrow. Never forget that the world needs science. And science needs you, future young scientist.”

asist. dr. Tina Kegl

When choosing a study, it is important for each individual to think about their strong areas, personal interests and wishes, as well as the perspective of the field of their career path. All this and much more must be connected in making a decision about studies, which has a significant impact on the future, which should be a source of satisfaction.

👉 Read the successful stories of female students and researchers, which you can find in the collection at my.um.si.

👉 Explore UM study programs on this page.