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Although women in science continue to be underrepresented at the highest level, things are slowly changing. In a complex but changing culture, many have built highly successful, rewarding careers, carving out a niche for themselves as a role model to budding scientists, regardless of gender.

In honour of the forthcoming International Women’s Day (March 8^th 2017), over the next few weeks, ScienceBlog will be turning the spotlight on some of the diverse and accomplished women of Oxford. Women who, in influencing and changing the world around them with their work, are inspiring a new generation of young people to follow in their footsteps.

Bushra AlAhmadi is a DPhil student in the Department of Computer Science, specialising in cyber security. In 2016 she was awarded the prestigious Google Anita Borg scholarship for women in technology and co-founded the community outreach initiative, InspireHer. The initiative aims to build on young girls’ interest in computer science, by engaging both parent and child with a fun and interactive coding workshop.

How did you come to choose computer science as your field of expertise?

I had a head full of ideas and naturally really enjoyed computer programming; building something from scratch and teaching it to do things. Being able to make something do what you want is both useful and powerful – and that is all coding is. People are just starting to realise that as a skill, it can be useful in lots of areas - not only science areas like engineering, robotics, website development and computing, but also business, law and even retail. It has allowed me to work in multiple fields: programming, security, network security and now cyber security. The freedom of variety to do what you want is really appealing.

What are you currently working on?

My research involves designing malware detection systems, specifically in Software Defined Networks (SDN). Day to day, it involves a lot of coding and testing, trying to find ways to detect and prevent malware. At the moment I am working with external security operation centres' (SOCs) and analysts to understand how they detect malicious activities on the network.

What do you find most challenging about being a woman in science?

As a Saudi Arabian, who completed her master’s degree in California and now lives here in Oxford, I think being a woman in science depends on where you are. Saudi Arabia is actually the place where I feel least aware that I am a 'woman in science'. My university, King Saud University, is divided into single sex campuses, and we actually have an equal number of female and male students studying computer science, if not more. There are around 1,000 female computing undergraduates as well as Master's and PhD students, so we don’t see ourselves as female scientists, just scientists. But, both in the USA and UK, I was always aware of being a minority in my field. Often you are the only woman in your study group.

We need more women and ethnic minorities working in tech, so don’t be afraid to apply just because you are different. In my case it has only been an asset.

In the early stages of my pregnancy, I didn’t want people to think I was less capable of doing my work, so didn’t tell anyone at first and became quite isolated and homesick. But, when I did tell my tutors, the support I got from the university was great, and made me wish I had done so sooner. Everyone from my supervisors to the administrators, went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Female professors are still a minority at Oxford, but they openly talk about their experiences as women. It’s so important to have relatable role models who talk about motherhood, rather than hiding it away like it is wrong, or that in doing so they are making excuses.

When I attended my first seminar after having my son, I was really nervous. My professor pulled me aside and said: 'if you need to bring your child to a lecture or a meeting, just do it – I have.' It instantly put me at ease and made me realise, it didn’t matter. She was a mum too, like lots of other female scientists. They do not let it hold them back, so I never have either. As a woman and an international student, you feel very welcome and safe here. With everything happening in the world at the moment, I feel very lucky to be here.

The family focused initiative supports children and their parents to learn more about coding.

What accomplishments are you most proud of to date?

Winning a place on the Google Women Techmakers Scholars Programme, which was formerly known as the Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship Programme (offering financial support to people studying computer science at under graduate or graduate level) was a great honour. On a personal level, doing a PhD while pregnant and having my son in my first year of study is something I am very proud of.

What led you to set up InspireHer?

Female professors are still a minority at Oxford, but they openly talk about their experiences as women. It’s so important to have relatable role models who talk about motherhood, rather than hiding it away like it is wrong, or that in doing so they are making excuse.

As part of my scholarship we were asked to come up with outreach ideas and as a mum, I wanted to engage parents as well, so that they can support and encourage their child’s interest in computer science.

InspireHer is a programme for young girls, who with their parents can become inspired through coding. Through the programme, I often meet parents who think that exposure to technology is bad for their child's development. There are lots of computer and smart tech games that can help children with their maths and science skills development.

Programmes like SCRATCH encourage children to create their own stories, animations and videos. 

What can be done to encourage more young girls to choose a career in STEM?

Research suggests that if we want to see more women working in the STEM sciences, we have to engage them at an early age. Having a parent to help and guide them helps feed a child’s interest and boost their confidence. If parents do not understand or value computer science, then their children are not likely to either.

Strong, encouraging role models are really important, especially for younger children (under five) who would not know where to look for coding activities on their own. I am very proud to be a woman in science. There are some great female computer scientists, but to stay that way, we need a new generation to follow suit and a generation after that and after that. Workshops like InspireHer allow young girls to build on their interest in computing, practice activities and then decide for themselves if it is the right career for them. 

Through the InspireHer programme young girls and their parents gain the skill of coding. The exercises used are methodical and build a step by step approach to problem solving, in much the same way as LEGO and building blocks.

How can schools better support children interested in science?

Some of the girls attending InspireHer events say they love science, but find school boring. Coding is an interactive and fun way to learn as it is multi-disciplinary and a good skill to develop, whatever field you decide to go into. Teachers could use the robotic ball exercise to make maths and science lessons more hands on. We use it a lot at InspireHer events and the children respond well to it. They learn to code and control the ball, coordinating its movements by using drag, drop and pause options. The game encourages the same step by step approach and problem-solving skills as playing with LEGO or building blocks.

What are your goals for the future?

I am participating in the first Saudi Arabian Cyber Security Contest, which in light of the recent cyber-attacks on Saudi Arabia, is a big deal in my country. Twenty finalists were chosen out of 500 entrants. 

When I complete my scholarship in 2018, I will return to Saudi Arabia and teach coding to undergraduates. I am also preparing to launch my own cyber security consultancy business, which I hope will support government and private organisations to develop and build their cyber security capabilities.

What advice would you give to anyone considering a career in computer science?

Believe in yourself and you can make a great impact in any field, especially tech and computing. Don’t be afraid to take the lead, firsts only happen because someone makes them happen.  When I started at King Saud University, the only student society was for male law students, (there was nothing for women). I started the first IT Society for Women, organising coding workshops and tech talks.  I’ve also been involved with Oxford Women in Computer Science since I arrived at the University in 2014, and was President of the group from 2015 - 2016. We organised the second Oxbridge women in computer science conference, bringing together female researchers from Oxford and Cambridge. Of all the sciences, computing really benefits from and needs diversity. We need more women and ethnic minorities working in tech, so don’t be afraid to apply just because you are different. In my case it has only been an asset.

The doctor who created Frankenstein’s monster has been played on stage by a woman, for what is believed to be the first time.

A new play at the Northern Stage in Newcastle, features one Dr Victoria Frankenstein as the lead role in Selma Dimitrijevic's adaptation of Mary Shelley's iconic novel.

It's a fascinating idea, according to two of Oxford University’s experts on Mary Shelley.

‘The original novel is about a perverse, lone, male scientific kind of creativity, embodied in the character of Victor Frankenstein,’ says Professor Karen O’Brien, an expert in eighteenth-century literature and Head of Oxford’s Humanities Division. 

‘Victor's creativity cuts him off from the normal, domestic world of women and female fertility. He gives life to the monster, not coincidentally, shortly after the death of his own mother.

‘So a female Frankenstein is a fascinating idea. How might the female fertility and genius be linked? In the novel, the Creature, or Monster, actually resembles the female heroines in Mary Shelley's mother's novels - isolated, sensitive, forever excluded from mainstream society by their inability to find happiness on the unequal terms offered by men.

A female Frankenstein is a fascinating idea

Professor Karen O'Brien

‘This adaptation transfers that outsider role to the scientist character. So how are we to interpret the Creature?’

Fiona Stafford, Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford University, was interviewed about the casting on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

She says: ‘Mary Shelley would have been aware growing up in an unusual, avant garde household that, although she was a very intelligent woman, there was no opportunity for her to train as a doctor or to go to university.

‘In many ways you can read Frankenstein as a critique of male obsessive pursuit and of not thinking through the consequences of his actions, so it is interesting to see how that translates into Victoria Frankenstein.’

‘You can read the book in many different ways and I think that is part of the secret of its enduring success, it is extraordinary that a novel that was published in a fairly modest form in 1818 should still have this afterlife.

'In a way that is something that Mary Shelley’s myth is visiting, the idea that you can create something and then you don’t actually have control of it, it has a life of its own.

‘In some ways you can see a parallel between Mary Shelley the novelist and Frankenstein. Although we tend to think of him as a scientist, she too is bringing together something and bringing it to life, and then it has taken on a life of its own to the extent that the Creature is often thought of as Frankenstein.’

Professor Stafford's interview can be heard here.

Professor O'Brien will also be interviewed by BBC World Service's The Forum on Saturday 18 February. The recording will be found here.

From Bob Dylan, to today's post-disciplinary world, Alain Goriely, Professor of Mathematical Modelling, Oxford Mathematics, University of Oxford, gives a brief introduction to applied mathematics. Discussing its role and evolution in society, he shares how maths defies simple categorisation, underpinning all STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) specialisms.

In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1965, Bob Dylan was pushed to define himself: Do you think of yourself primarily as a singer or a poet? To which, Dylan famously replied: Oh, I think of myself more as a song and dance man, y’know. Dylan’s attitude to pigeonholing resonates with many applied mathematicians. I lack the coolness factor of Dylan, but if pushed about defining what kind of mathematician I am, I would say: Oh, I think myself more as an equation and matrix guy, y’know. 

One of the greatest strengths of applied mathematics is that it has established itself by defying simple categorisation. Applied mathematics, be it an art, a craft, or a discipline, is not bound to a particular scientific application, a particular mathematical universe, or a well-defined university department. The drawback is that applied mathematics usually gets no mega-funding or the limelight associated with big scientific breakthroughs. But its biggest advantage is that it can insert itself into all scientific disciplines and easily reinvent itself by moving fluidly from one field to the next, guided only by methods, theory, and applications: it is all equations and matrices. Many applied mathematicians see new challenges as an opportunity to expand their mathematical horizons, and in our rapidly changing modern new society such new challenges abound. Here are three of these:

Major scientific efforts are required for major society challenges. These include fighting climate change, optimising new renewable energy sources, developing new medical treatments, and understanding the brain. Traditionally, applied mathematicians involved with these collaborative efforts were considered a useful but small cog in a huge scientific machine, but it is now appreciated that quality science requires clever modelling, state-of-the-art numerical methods, and fundamental theoretical insights from simplified models. This is the realm of applied mathematics, and accordingly our role in these endeavours is bound to increase. By the end of the day, we may not get the fame, but we’ll certainly have the fun.

A second relatively recent development of applied mathematics is the theory of networks. Networks represent connections between multiple physical or virtual entities. They are found in information theory (web links, social connections), biological systems (gene regulatory networks, metabolic networks, evolutionary trees), and physical systems (axon connections, electric grid). Regardless of their origin, these networks share common mathematical features. Their analyses span many different fields of study, and network theory has now established tentacular connections to various parts of pure and applied mathematics, a network of its own.

For about five years there has been much excitement about BIG DATA. The initial hope was that one could go straight into data and use empirical methods to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Quite the opposite is happening. The success of many methods has shed a bright light on the need to understand the underlying mathematical structure of both data and methods. The subject now presents a rich field of study that brings all mathematical sciences together, including statistics and computer science. 

Applied mathematics, be it an art, a craft, or a discipline, is not bound to a particular scientific application, a particular mathematical universe, or a well-defined university department.

These examples share a common thread that highlights a new trend in mathematical and scientific discoveries: beyond inter-, multi-, and supra-disciplinarity, we live in a post-disciplinary world. Things have changed, and Oxford University with its collegiate system, and the Mathematical Institute with its collegial atmosphere, are particularly well equipped to thrive in this new scientific world. But despite all the hype, we’re also fully aware that there’s nothing wrong with the old world, the old problems, or the old conjectures. We have an intellectual responsibility to promote and cherish these areas of knowledge defined by the great thinkers, past and present, especially if they are believed to be useless or irrelevant.

Bob Dylan in the same interview, foresaw yet another possible application of mathematics: What would you call your music? His reply: I like to think of it more in terms of vision music – it's mathematical music.

For more discussion around understanding applied mathematics, you can watch the author’s video via the Oxford Mathematics YouTube page.

Alain Goriely is the author of the forthcoming book: 'Applied Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction,' which will be published by Oxford University Press later this year.

Oxford University's Voltaire Foundation has formed a new and surprising partnership.

Their ambitious project to publish the Complete Works of Voltaire is now being supported by LVMH Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton and Bernard Arnault, its Chairman and CEO.

The global luxury goods brand will donate a substantial amount over the next three years to support the Voltaire Foundation as it researches and publishes the final volumes in the Complete Works of Voltaire.

The 18th-century French writer Voltaire is an iconic figure in European culture, and his thinking about freedom of expression and religious tolerance lies at the heart of Western liberal democracy.

The Complete Works is the most ambitious project in French literature currently being undertaken outside France. It aims to publish all of Voltaire’s writings with expert commentary alongside the texts. When the project is completed in 2019, it will amount to more than 200 volumes.

The next edition to be published includes key Voltaire texts such as Micromegas, a science-fiction tale about a planet-hopping giant’s visit to our world which Voltaire uses as a commentary on the society in which he lived, and man’s place in the universe.

Professor Nicholas Cronk, Director of the Voltaire Foundation at Oxford University, said: 'We are very appreciative of this supportive endorsement from such a well-known French company whose high-profile, iconic brands match the world-class cultural aspirations of our ambitious project.

'When the Complete Works of Voltaire is published in its entirety, it will change fundamentally the way we think about the Enlightenment and the importance of the Enlightenment in the modern world.'

Bernard Arnault, Chairman & CEO of the LVMH Group, said: 'The driving force for the LVMH Group’s success is based on extracting value from a unique heritage and stimulating modern day creativity and excellence.

'The unprecedented project carried out by the Voltaire Foundation to publish the complete works of Voltaire follows a similar path as it aims to make available and to promote one of the most outstanding thinkers of the 18th century, to enlighten our times. It is with pride and gratitude to the Oxford University that we embark on this adventure.'

Many scientists may dream of receiving royal recognition for services to their field, but for Professor Paul Smith, director of Oxford University Museum of Natural History, it is reality. In early January he was awarded the prestigious Polar Medal by Her Majesty the Queen, in recognition of his “outstanding achievement” in the field of Arctic research.

As a palaeontologist and polar scientist, with extensive expertise working in the high Arctic, Professor Smith has over thirty years’ geological experience, particularly in Greenland. His research has informed understanding of some of the world’s most uninhabited, little known regions. His achievements include being part of the team that created the first geological maps of the northern Greenland.

ScienceBlog sat down with Professor Smith to get his reaction to winning the award and to learn more about his career.

Congratulations on this spectacular honour, where were you when you found out you had won?

I was sitting on a delayed train, on the way home, just before Christmas, when I received an email that I had won. It made a long, uninspiring journey a lot more memorable.

With the exception of glacial deposits, much of the Arctic landscape is exposed rock, which makes it a big attraction for geologists.

Picture credit: Professor Paul Smith

Why did you decide to specialise in Arctic research?

As a geologist and a keen climber and hillwalker interested in remote areas you could say it was a natural fit. But it was my first trip to Greenland that sealed the deal. I had just completed my PhD, when I was invited for the first time on a large-scale expedition, creating a geological map of the furthest north part of Greenland. A dream opportunity.

For those that haven’t yet had the pleasure of experiencing the polar-regions, Greenland is a landscape unlike any I have ever seen before. Unspoilt, mountainous and spectacular.

We worked remotely, in teams of two, completely isolated from the rest of the group. We would be taken by helicopter, to a remote location where we would conduct all of our mapping. Then a week later, the helicopter would return with fresh food and take us further on to map the next area, and so on.

There were twelve pairs of geologists scattered across northern Greenland, so although we were working in isolation we all kept in touch via radio, for safety and lively evening banter.

Professor Paul Smith, director of Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Arctic scientist

About 15 years ago I was involved in a highly complicated piece of geology, on the north eastern tip of Greenland. There had been a number of unsuccessful attempts to unravel the work, but my colleague and I wanted to achieve it ourselves. The bulk of the work was conducted on foot, but the helicopter was always on hand for support if needed. Over two summers we mapped an area around the size of Wales. I know that is the standard measure of land area, but it really was about the size of Wales. To this day I still consider this project one my proudest scientific achievements.

In terms of more recent work, can you tell us a little about researching the Cambrian explosion and why it has such high geological importance?

Most recently and throughout my career, I have been working collaboratively on a special locality, right above the north coast – about 500 miles from the North Pole. Here fossils are exceptionally preserved, which means geologists are not just working from shells or skeletons, but also the muscle tissues and soft tissues that aren’t normally preserved. The region is about 530 million years old, and at a point in time when most of the major groups of animals begin to appear in the fossil record.

This is an event called the Cambrian Explosion. Being able to attack a really fundamental scientific problem in a place that is so special, is very enjoyable as well as being hard work.

What is your fondest Arctic memory?

It has to be those occasions where you capture the perfect golden light in the Arctic. Photographers worldwide talk about the “golden moment.” Just as the sun’s setting, you get five minutes of really stunning light, just before the sun dips below the horizon. But in the far north, the sun never dips below the horizon, so on a nice day, the landscape is bathed in this golden light, for hour, after hour. Often, from eight o’clock at night, through to four in the morning you get to enjoy this glorious, perpetual sunset that never quite goes away. A great photo opportunity, but in my opinion, nothing compares to just sitting peacefully and absorbing it, with a small glass of whisky in hand.

Do you have any polar expeditions planned for the future?

We want to explore an area half way up the east coast of Greenland, where an ancient mountain belt called the Caledonides is well-exposed. It is a deep section through an ancient continent-continent collision zone and we are just in the planning stages of an expedition that we hope to undertake in 2019.

What is the significance of the Caledonides?

One of Greenland’s key geological features is that around 420 million years ago it had a mountain belt that was on the scale of the Himalayas, but it has now been eroded down to its roots. This level of erosion tells us about mountain belt activity, specifically how they grow and the way that they collapse.

The belt was formed by ancient North America colliding with ancient Scandinavia, and runs from the northern tip of Greenland, across the Atlantic, to Scotland, and then back across the Atlantic to the eastern cost of North America. We want to study the point where the mountain belt disappears off the shore of Greenland, to reappear next in North West Scotland. For geologists it is the missing link between the East Greenland and Scottish Caledonides. 

Why is Arctic research so important in today’s world?

It is many fold really, and would inspire different answers from different scientists. For glaciologists and those interested in climate change, it is because climate change is currently at its most exaggerated in polar areas. I have been going to the Arctic for thirty years and have seen rapid polar melting at first hand. It is happening, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Whereas, for geologists and people in my discipline, it is slightly different, the exposed rock is the real attraction. In the arctic we are not hindered by vegetation. There are of course areas covered with glacial deposits, but other than that, there is just the expanse of exposed rock that you just don’t get at lower latitudes. The far north has perfect “outcrop”, as we call it.

If you could have been a part of any scientific discovery from history, which would it be?

We have been exploring the far north since the 19^th century, but even now, we get that very rare experience of walking on ground that we know no other human being has walked on before. But to have been a part of those original teams, seeing the entire landscape for the first time, must have been really special. There is one particular explorer, William Scoresby, a whaler who made the first scientific descriptions of northeast Greenland. Each year he would venture further and further north, trying to beat his previous record, constantly finding new terrain and new science. That is pretty special.

What is next for you?

A combination of organising the next expedition, researching the Cambrian explosion and of course, running this great museum (Oxford University Natural History Museum).

Do you have a personal favourite exhibit in the museum?

All museum artefacts have the power to tell stories, but very few can tell as many exceptional stories as the Dodo.  Which has not only informed understanding of bird evolution, but also human induced extinctions, early trade routes and European exploration, and the creation of early natural history museums. Add to that a visit in 1860 from a certain Lewis Carrol and a little girl called Alice, and the Dodo has earned iconic status, crossing cultures, generations and the world.

What would you like your scientific legacy to be?

Someone who pushed forward a scientific understanding of Greenland and the Cambrian Explosion.

Climate change is currently at its most exaggerated in polar areas and having worked in the Arctic for thirty years, Professor Smith has witnessed rapid polar melting at first hand. Of the experience he said: "It is happening, and it shows no signs of slowing down."

Image credit: Professor Paul Smith