Eugenia Kumacheva of the Department of Chemistry has been selected by the Royal Society of Canada to promote their Women in Science, Engineering and Technology program.  This opportunity is offered to outstanding researchers and communicators who can present their research to a range of audiences. In the role, Eugenia will embark on an intensive 5-day trip to Japan which will see her deliver not only three scientific lectures based on her research in polymers and materials science, but also several presentations about her overall experience as a female scientist since becoming a faculty member at the University of Toronto in 1996.

"On one hand, it will be a good opportunity to present my research," said Kumacheva, the Canada Research Chair in Advanced Polymer Materials.  "On the other hand, I can speak up about changes that have been happening in Canada for women in science.  Japan is doing excellent science but women are awfully underrepresented."

Kumacheva said that in North America, more women are making the decision to stay in science, going against the old adage of having to either build a career or a personal life.  "It's true that as women we have more family obligations, so we need strong support from our families," she said, adding that awards such as the L'Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science prize and the Clara Benson Award from the Canadian Society for Chemistry --she is a past recipient of both -- give female scientists the opportunity to speak out about their life in and out of science.

"Young girls who are thinking of going into science need to see role models," Kumacheva said.  "They need to see that it is possible to have a balanced personal life.  Myself, I'm  married and I have two children.  I also have interests other than science."

Among the presentations she will make is a visit to a high school for girls, which she hopes will go differently than a similar previous engagement.  "When I was in Japan once before, I was invited by a colleague to speak to some of his female graduate students about continuing on to PhD work and academia," said  Kumacheva.  "They listened politely for a while, but in the end some of them just smiled and said that they just want to get married and raise a family. If more women in science spoke up more about themselves, that would change the perception of what a life in science has to be for women."

Photo courtesy of Eugenia Kumacheva