Sixty leading women were named Superstars of STEM last week, including astronomers, computer scientists, physicists and engineers.
Since it began in 2017, the Australian initiative now boasts 150 ‘Superstars’; all women making powerful contributions to tackling gender inequity in STEM through their commitment to being visible experts in the media.
The program tracks its impact and has seen 38 million people reached through media in the last six months as well as 6,900+ media mentions. It’s also seen 84 per cent of STEM stars progress in their career because of the program and more than 60,000 kids become engaged in the STEM initiative.
Swinburne astrophysicist and “cosmic detective” Dr Sara Webb was named as one of the 2022 Superstars of STEM and says: “I always knew I wanted to be a scientist of some kind. From marine biology to archaeology, I was obsessed with trying to understand the world and universe we live within.”
“Astronomy is one of those awe-inspiring fields that can get audiences of all ages interested in STEM. Astronomy was how I became a scientist, and now I’m thrilled to be able to take knowledge from Astronomy into other fields of research. Sharing the joy of Science has always been a passion, and I’m thrilled to do so via the Superstars of STEM program.”
The 60 STEM Superstars
Dr Caitlin Cowan
Dr Sara Webb
Mars Buttfield-Addison
Dr Amanda Khoury
Dr Sarah Scholten
Dr Melanie Zeppel
Anna Barwick
Dr Melissa Humphries
Paula Wasiak
Tiahni Adamson
Dr Dhani Dharmaprani
Dr Karen Livesy
Dr Kelsi Dodds
Dr Theresa Larkin
Priscilla Thwaites
Dr Jaclyn Pearson
Dr Susi Seibt
Sophie Gilbey
Neelima Kadiyala
Dr Vanessa Moss
Dr Tara Pukala
Caitlyn Forster
Dr Taylor Szyszka
Dr Anurika De Silva
Megan Born
Sally Hurst
Dr Ana Baburamani
Dr Samantha Sawyer
Dr Dona Jayakody
Dr Flora Hui
Dr Indrani Mukherjee
Associate Professor Caroline Tiddy
Associate Professor Cori Stewart
Natalie Chapman
Dr Sathana Dushyanthen
Trish Kerin
Dr Lily van Eeden
Dr Sophie Andrews
Dr Sarah Kachovich
Dr Laura Driessen
Dr Elahe Abdi
Susan Beetson
Stef Cola
Dr Prue Francis
Dr Grace Vincent
Dr Kate Brand
Dr Jessica Borhorquez
Christina Maher
Dr Tatiana Soares da Costa
Professor Kirsten Benkendorff
Professor Emily Cross
Adelle Goodwin
Dr Nicky Wright
Dr Charlotte Birkmanis
Dr Chiara Holgate
Dr Rachelle Kernen
Dr Alice Jones
Dr Camelia Walker
Dr Eliza Middleton
Dr Tatheer Zahra