Women in Science: Neuroscientist <PERSON> on ‘standing out from the crowd’ · Global Voices
Dr <PERSON>, courtesy photo, used with permission.
As part of its continuous efforts to explore the role of women in science , Global Voices spoke to <PERSON>, PhD , an independent research associate in the neurobiology department at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. <PERSON> works in the field of computational neuroscience, with a focus on the emergence and function of rhythmic neuronal activity.
Having entered the world of science with a primary interest in physics, she has shifted over the course of her career from the abstract to more human and life-related studies, and divides her time between the university's cognition and neural plasticity lab and teaching PhD and Masters students.
Global Voices (GV): What sparked your interest in physics and inspired you to become a scientist?
<PERSON> (CG): Well, I always had a mathematical mind and was very good in maths, which in high school became especially clear. I was interested in space, small particles, computers and literally wanted to become a rocket scientist. I studied at a girls’ school and had a group of friends with the same interests, such as memorizing stars in the sky, rather than going shopping for clothes. Being surrounded by friends with the same interests, of course, strengthened my passion for science.
GV: Would you agree that at that time the sciences, particularly physics, were considered to belong to the male realm and that for a woman it would be harder to build a career in this sphere?
CG: In this sense it was an advantage to study at a girls’ school, because there, the gender division simply did not happen. I sometimes ask myself whether I would have pursued science with the same enthusiasm if I had studied in a mixed school. And I still don’t have a definitive answer. Several studies have actually shown that girls from girls’ schools are more likely to enter fields that are male-dominated, precisely because there is no gender division, which to some extent creates certain mental barriers.
In primary school, where I studied in a mixed group, the teacher in science classes always gave the experiments to the boys, but not to me, although I wanted to do the experiments too and felt it extremely unfair. So the fact that I studied in such a school could have played a role in making my choice.
And I was lucky to have enormously supportive teachers who recognized my strong points and believed in me, thus encouraging me to dive fully and seriously into the world of science. 820
I remember, I had a very nice maths teacher, who at the time when I struggled with English, came to me and cheered me up by saying: “I do understand you very well, cause I also always had problems with English. But you’re good in maths and that’s enough for life.” His support was very important for me and helped me not to get frustrated.
<PERSON>: What about your undergraduate university years? What was the percentage of girls in the faculty of physics and did you see any difference in the treatment of female students?
CG: Actually no, not at all. Although there were only about 10 percent women in the faculty and in some classes I was the only woman, it only motivated me to perform better. Because being almost the only girl in a group doesn’t give you a chance to dissolve in a crowd, to disappear from the view of a teacher. Standing out makes you always think twice before saying anything out loud, because if it’s something silly then you know that everybody will remember who said it. That ‘no chance to hide’ position bothered me a little bit and made me feel uncomfortable sometimes, but those concerns were more from my own mind, not caused by any bad intentions or biased attitudes from teachers.
Very occasionally some slight and unconscious gender biases took place. For instance… one older professor in a lecture on thermodynamics gave an example of baking cakes and turned to me, saying: “Indeed, you should know this.” And I said: “Why? Sorry, but I don’t.” Because I actually had no idea how to bake cakes at that time.
On the other hand, I had a female physics professor who was very kind and caring and especially helpful and supportive to me. Partly I explain her goodwill by the fact that I was the only girl in the group and she felt therefore some special connection with me and the inclination to help me. Her example showed me that I could also be successful in science, and I definitely benefited from her support.
<PERSON>: How does it feel to be a woman in physics in general? And what role, if any, does gender play in this field of science? 620