THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sudipta Sengupta, the pioneering Indian woman scientist who first reached Antarctica, likened women to Goddess Durga with ten hands, adeptly balancing career and family responsibilities.
Speaking at a national conference organised by the National Centre for East Science Studies (NCESS), Sengupta, a former Jadavpur University professor and author of Breaking Rocks and Barriers, encouraged female scientists to follow their passions and live according to their desires.
She stressed the importance of family support, noting that it was vital to her career. “If your family isn’t supportive, you’ll need to advocate strongly for yourself,” she advised the female geoscientists from top research organisations attending the conference. The NCESS is hosting a three-day conference titled ‘Women in geosciences: Opportunities, challenges, and accomplishments’ at their Aakkulam campus in Thiruvananthapuram. M Ravichandran, secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, highlighted the numerous challenges women scientists face, including gender bias, work-life balance issues, and lack of visibility. “Inadequate female representation hampers diversity and innovation in research. We must address this ‘leaky pipeline’ with measures like mentorship to support women scientists’ careers,” he stated.
Talat Ahmad, chairman of NCESS-RAC, stressed that researchers who ask questions would become better scientists. N V Chalapathi Rao, director, NCESS, in his welcome address, said two eminent scientists — Manju Sharma and Madhoolika Agrawal — were instrumental in holding the conference. He pointed out that there were only less than six women in the three science academies in the country.
The gathering aims to highlight the opportunities and challenges faced by women in geosciences, while celebrating their remarkable achievements, the organisers said.
Over 65 female scientists and researchers will present their cutting-edge work at the conference. The event will conclude on September 4.