• Plants In Action Edition 1
  • Plants In Action, 2nd Edition PDF files
  • Functional Plant Biology
  • Phytogen
  • Plant Detectives
Contact
facebook
twitter
email
  • About
    • 2021 Executive Committee
    • Discipline Representatives
    • ASPS representation
    • Website & Communications Sub-Committee
    • Past Presidents
    • AGM
    • Constitution
    • ASPS Diversity and Inclusion
  • Members
    • Join
    • Member log in
    • Membership Renewal
    • Member directory
    • Life Members
      • ASPS Life Member Professor Graham Farquhar
      • ASPS Life Member Associate Professor Hendrik (Hank) Greenway
      • ASPS Life Member Dr Marshall (Hal) D Hatch
      • ASPS Life Member Dr Paul E Kriedmann
      • ASPS Life Member Dr Mervyn Ludlow
      • ASPS Life Member Emeritus Professor Rana Munns
      • ASPS Life Member Conjoint Professor Christina E Offler
      • ASPS Life Member Professor (Charles) Barry Osmond
      • ASPS Life Member Emeritus Professor John W Patrick
      • ASPS Life Member Dr Joe Wiskich
    • Corresponding Members
    • Elected Fellows
  • Events
    • National Science Week 2021
    • ASPS 2021
      • ASPS2021 Abstract submission
    • ComBio2022
    • Upcoming Events/Add an Event
  • Awards & Funding
    • Peter Goldacre Award
    • Jan Anderson Award and Lecture
    • JG Wood Lecture
    • RN Robertson Lecture
    • RN Robertson Travelling Fellowship 2023
    • ASPS-FPB Best Paper Award
    • ASPS Education and Outreach Award
    • Student Travel Awards
    • ASPS Student Poster Prizes
  • Employment
    • Job Board
    • Post a Job
  • Publications
    • Phytogen
    • Functional Plant Biology
    • Plants In Action Edition 1
    • Plants In Action, 2nd Edition PDF files
  • Research
    • Ecophysiology
    • Genetics & Molecular Biology
    • Cell Biology
    • Plant-Microbe Interactions
    • Plant Development
    • Whole Plants
  • Teaching
    • ASPS Teaching and Outreach Award Winners
    • Teaching Philosophy
    • Teaching Outreach
    • Resources
  • Menu
    • other stuff

Count down to 60 years of ASPS – Why we need more women

17 September 2018
ASPS 60

Australian Society of Plant Scientists at 60.

Why we need more women.

John R Evans

I have been fortunate in my career to have wonderful female colleagues and I spent a productive post doctoral fellowship in Jan Anderson’s lab at CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra. Over the years Jan told me some of the challenges she faced and how she overcame them – they were real eye openers for me, possibly from a different era. I regret not recording the conversations because I cannot do justice to their content.

A celebration in Jan’s lab, 1986, (left to right) Fred Chow, Jan Anderson, John Evans, Stephanie McCaffery, David Goodchild, Hugo Scheer and Bob Porra. I had an oxygen electrode setup behind the champagne drinkers with the usual array of toxic inhibitors on the open shelf, but I did wear a lab coat when doing assays. 

There is no doubt that Plant Science as a profession has discriminated against women in the past. While improvements have occurred, there is much more to be done. The SAGE initiative http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/ is one way Australia is trying to raise awareness and improve gender equity in science, but I have no doubt that the most effective way to drive change will be by tying it to funding.

At the inaugural ASPP meeting in Adelaide in 1958, there were a few women amidst the 60 men. Over the years there have been 4 women presidents of the society (Adele Millerd 1977, Jan Anderson 1992, Rana Munns 2008 and Ros Gleadow 2010). More recently, there has been a conscious effort to improve gender balance in our awards and for conference speakers. There have been 3 women out of the last 8 Goldacre awards (Uli Mathesius, Chanyarat Puangfoo-Lonhienne, Min Chen) and RN Robertson lecturers (Rana Munns, Susanne von Caemmerer, Jean Finnegan) and  2 out of the last 8 JG Wood lecturers (Sally Smith, Marilyn Ball) . This happened because the Executive Committee was finally paying attention, but vigilance must been maintained.

It is great to be able to mark the 60th anniversary of ASPS with the launch of the Jan Anderson award acknowledging research excellence by women in the 15 years after their PhD.

I would also like to pay tribute to the society’s two female life members: Tina Offler and Rana Munns. For many years, Tina produced our newsletter Phytogen and continues to be an active member of the society. Rana has been driving the second edition of Plants in Action http://plantsinaction.science.uq.edu.au/  along with Susanne Schmidt and Christine Beveridge – an awesome threesome. For a small society, I reckon Australian Plant Scientists have not only created a great legacy of research, discovery and education, but we still have so much more exciting research to do that is fundamental to maintaining our agriculture and unique flora.

Social Share

Archive of Phytogen PDFs

All Phytogen issues published as PDF newsletters can also be downloaded by clicking here.

Tags

ASPS 60 Awards Global Plant Council Phytogen Plant Nutrition Trust Travel Scholarship RN Robertson Travelling Fellowship Science Meets Parliament Women in science

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
Copyright 2017 Australian Society of Plant Scientists Disclaimer & Privacy
Website by Michael Major Media