Women in Science Wednesdays

While women fill close to half of all jobs in the United States, they hold less than 25 percent of positions within the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Even as college-educated women have increased their share in the overall workforce, our country’s science and technology sectors continue to lack a female presence.

To help close this gap, UNC research is sharing their stories — from the depths of the ocean to the crest of a mountain, with projects that impact our state, the nation, and the world. Carolina’s female scientists from all areas of STEM are making waves in the world of research. Join us each week as our scientists share their unique perspectives on the rigors of research, and advice for other women in their fields.

Nichola Lowe

May 8, 2019

Nichola Lowe is a professor in the Department of City & Regional Planning within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research unpacks the processes and practices that contribute to more equitable forms of regional economic development and labor market adjustment.

Karen Sheffield

May 1, 2019

Karen Sheffield is a doctoral candidate in the UNC School of Nursing. Her research focuses on developing strategies to reduce the long-term health effects of psychological trauma, anxiety, and depression on women’s health and birth outcomes.

Allison Duprey

April 24, 2019

Allison Duprey is a sophomore majoring in environmental sciences and minoring in marine sciences within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She uses drones to study how baleen whales spend and conserve energy when deep-diving for krill.

Tainayah Thomas

April 17, 2019

Tainayah Thomas is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Health Behavior within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research focuses on improving health care delivery and disease prevention for African Americans, Latinos, and other ethnically diverse populations.

Tylar Watson

April 3, 2019

Tylar Watson is a junior double-majoring in computer science and women’s and gender studies, with a minor in Chinese, within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research utilizes a specialized form of 3D printing called Continuous Liquid Interface Production to optimize the materials and methods for developing thin film membranes.

Nilay Tanık Argon

March 27, 2019

Nilay Tanık Argon is a professor in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. She researches stochastic systems — random mathematical processes — to better understand operational problems in the health care industry such as the allocation of scarce resources like ambulances.

Kiara Childs

March 20, 2019

Kiara Childs is a PhD student in the Department of Communication within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on how media empowers and disempowers marginalized communities, specifically how black women curate their voices through social media.

Nathalie Eegholm

March 13, 2019

Nathalie Eegholm is a senior majoring in quantitative biology and minoring in marine science within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research uses an ecological model designed to understand how dissolved oxygen varies seasonally and yearly to predict short-term oxygen conditions within the Neuse River Estuary of North Carolina.

Seema Garg

March 6, 2019

Seema Garg is an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology within the UNC School of Medicine and a practicing ophthalmologist at the UNC Kittner Eye Center. Her research focuses on preventing blindness in people with diabetes — a condition called diabetic retinopathy — through early detection using telemedicine.

Eileen Parsons

February 27, 2019

Eileen Parsons is a professor of science education within the UNC School of Education and the president-elect of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. Her research investigates and critiques racial and cultural inequalities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to improve access to STEM opportunities.