Woman in STEM

I solemnly swear to transfigure and actuate the ecosystem of changemakers to inspire more women in stem and open up a world of opportunities for them

Hailing from a middle class and conservative Indian upper caste patriarchal society my parents and a handful of teachers were liberal people who inspired me to break societal barriers. I have always aspired to be a Woman in STEM. Palaeontology and evolutionary biology researches are still at a nascent stage as compared to the western world. My interest in Natural Science and my training in geology and quantitative sciences inspired me to take up the challenge of researching in Indian paleontology and incorporating interdisciplinary aspects of engineering, medical, mathematical sciences into it. Life has not been easy for me taking up STEM science as an integrated approach and become a field scientist. But I was determined to live up to my dreams and become a woman a STEM despite all its challenges. A woman/girl alone excavating or carrying out field work by her own capacity is still a big constraint and challenge in itself in India due to unfavorable terrains, internal security lapses and not to mention the unsavoriness brought on by sexism and misogyny.

I have expressed my views and lectured on my journey as a Women in Paleontology in the Annual Meeting of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontology.

Apart from my own research, I had always been keen and work on outreach programmes to promote science and palaeontology among school children and promote awareness of conservation of fossil sites in rural areas. I have been working hard among schools in rural and urban areas organizing mass awareness programmes and guiding public visits in the Geological Museum of the Indian Statistical Museum which apart from housing the famous Barapasaurus tagoreii as well as several rare and archaic fossils of India.

I ardently work hard and believe in promoting STEM science among the grassroot levels in rural India. I had organised the first structured outreach event in January 2020 at the Indian Statistical Institute which aimed at preservation of fossil sites of Bengal – A National Heritage and awaring school children and common people about the importance of developing STEM sciences in India.

It is my vision and mission to be a representative of women in STEM as an integrated approach and work towards to promote more women into STEM science from developing nations like India. My aim is to inspire more women from developing countries to come forward in field sciences breaking through the parochialism and gender stereotypes of a fundamentalist society. I envision a day when academics will not be mocked for spending their extended study periods in the Universities and not doing “real” jobs. My hope is that STEM science in developing countries will receive more funding and research funding will no longer be looked upon as wasting taxpayers money.

My philosophy dictates that we bring science forth to the society as a gender-neutral collaborative. Opening the windows of science to break the long standing barriers of society sends down chills and turbulence among the masses but it is science at the end that brings forth the gust of fresh air.