Breakfast at The Tearoom...

I attended a Breakfast function at The Tearoom (QVB) today.

We had an inspiring female guest speaker. Her name is Dr Caroline Kovac, General Manager of IBM Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences.

The topic for the day was 'Women in science & technology : one woman's perspective'.

And as boring as you may want to assume it to be, it wasnt. And of course the food helped to make it that little bit more interesting...but Dr Kovac is a very engaging public speaker who has a lot to offer young females in terms of inspiration and motivation.

I found myself twisted in my chair (my chair was facing the opposite direction to the podium) to see her as she spoke and shared her pearls of wisdom with the audience. And just because the topic was about women in science & technology...dont go thinking it was just a bunch of feminists
b!tching about inequality in the work place. There was a large number of men who attended this function as well.

She shared a story about one of her latest board meetings with her execs, and a female exec had pointed out that within Dr Kovac's team, there were 4 women and only 2 men. And the men had pointed out that they felt "weird" in such a group. This was just to point out that the differences are felt vice versa, men-women or women-men. And we should embrace the differences to make the team and the environment a wonderful place to work in.

The topic of the day made me think about myself and my interest in science. When i was in primary school there was a HUGE interest (that i had) to change the world. And i acknowledged that by being enthusiastic about learning science as much as art. Even when i went to high school, i was highly motivated to study chemistry and physics, cos i didnt want to study biology...but ironic enough, i was studying chemistry and physics so i could get into medicine. (Don't ask...)

A lot of people, teachers and friends alike, thought it was weird when they found out that i was going to study Computer Science at Usyd. It wasnt the choice of university that they were shocked about, it was the degree. Nobody, and i mean nobody thought i would choose Comp Sci. They all just assumed that i would become a lawyer as i was a good public speaker and did well in English.

At some stage, when i was a kid, i did dream about being a "real" scientist and changing the world. And this was part of the presentation today. Addressing the issue of how girls seem to lose interest in science when they get to their tweens or teens. To help combat this issue, Dr Kovac suggests that girls get motivated by "Peer Mentors" - mentors closer to their age who are enthusiastic about science and are passionate about what they do, to show the younger girls that they too can excel in science.

I, for some reason as a kid, had dreamt about being some great doctor, changing the face of medicine through research and being published in journals all over the world. And then that dream stopped. I dont know why the dream stopped. But i had dreamt about doing many great things when i was a child...and obviously, they havent come to fruition.

Do girls just decide when they get to about 13-15 y/o that doing anything "hardcore" like science and becoming a scientist is just not for them? That they should just become a hairdresser or beautician? Is that because they think that those are the sort of things girls should do? And im not saying this as a negative to hairdressers or beauticians...because at some stage, i wanted to be a hairdresser or a beautician, sometimes i still consider it, because it looks like a fun job to do. Its hard and demanding but if u are passionate about it, it would be worth it, right?

How many young girls do you know, get all excited and feel passionately about becoming a scientist? Do girls really know what being a "scientist" entails?

Its a mystery.

Which was another point that Dr Kovac brought to our attention. Being a scientist has this air of mystery...they usually delve into the unknown to bring the truth to light. And the thing is, if you cant really tell someone what it is that you do, how can they really get interested in it? And even if you can describe it to them, but they still dont quite grasp what you are saying...then you are still at loose ends.

She really made me think about what i was doing with my job? I queried and wondered about what i was doing to make a contribution to the world. And honestly, im not contributing much at all. I'm not really making a difference, and i am most definitely not helping the cause to find a cure for cancer.

In a very indirect and ultimately, in an ever so slight way, i may be helping some customers of the bank...but my contribution is very very small and insignificant.

I felt liberated after breakfast, and at the same time i felt ashamed that i wasnt doing anything to better the world.

*sigh*

So, the question that i have to answer is, what am i going to do to make a contribution to better our world today, tomorrow, and there after?