Yesterday, I celebrated with L’Oreal as they marked another milestone for the Philippines. For Women in Science (FWIS) awarded Dr. Charissa Ferrera as the newest FWIS National Fellow. The program’s return to the Philippines cements L’Oreal’s strong commitment to pushing women empowerment and leadership in science in the Philippines.
What is For Women in Science (FWIS)?
L’Oreal and UNECO founded the For Women in Science (FWIS) program in 1998 with the mission to empower more women in the field off scienes by increasing the number of women in scientific research, promoting more young women to enter the profession, and to assist them once their careers are in progress.
Since its launch, FWIS has supported more than 3,000 women scientists from 117 countries, and celebrated 102 renowned scientists at the peak of their careers, including three who went on to win a Nobel Prize. The Philippines has Dr. Lourdes Cruz win as a Global Laureate (2010) for her work with snail toxins, and has had four Filipina scientists awarded as National Fellows (211 and 2012).
To solidify their commitment to drive increased women participation and success in the field of science, a six-point manifesto was signed by representatives from L’Oreal, UNESCO, National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the scientific community.
Dr. Charissa Ferrera talking about her work. She researches environmental impact on our water resources, these include: harmful algal bloom, carbonate chemistry and ocean acidification, nitrogen and phosphorus eutrophication. Her long term goal is communicating these findings effectively to end-users (local communities) so that this can lead to science-based water resource management.
Dr. Reiko Kuroda talking about her journey as a woman scientist. In 2013, she was awarded as a Global Laureate for the For Women in Science program for her work that has pushed our knowledge of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
I totally support encouraging women who are so inclined to join the sciences! Women can contribute a lot to the scientific fields. Women often see things differently from men, and sometimes we need this different perspective to get breakthroughs. I also think women scientists may pursue research topics that are dear to their hearts that men may ignore. We women have our own wants, needs, problems and expectations, and sometimes only a fellow woman can understand them and find a way to solve them!
