BANANA SKINS, BOTTLENECKS,

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BANANA SKINS, BOTTLE-NECKS, ELEPHANT TRAPS
The Journey for Women in Technology
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MYTH 1 Its all genetic
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• What does any particular gene actually do?

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LEVELS OF BRAIN ORGANISATION

• Consciousness
• Dysfunctions e.g. schizophrenia, depression
• Functions e.g. memory, vision
• Sub functions e.g. colour/form/motion
  processing
• Brain regions
• Large scale assemblies
• Isolated neuronal circuits
• Neuronal connections (synapses)
• Components of synapse e.g. receptor ion
  channels
• Genes

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An INDIRECT link between genes and brain
function.
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Mice with the gene for Huntingtons Chorea An
example of Nurture trumping Nature?
van Dellen, Blakemore, Deacon, York Hannan
2000, Nature
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NURTURE CAN TRUMP NATURE
van Dellen, Blakemore, Deacon, York Hannan
2000, Nature
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NURTURE CAN TRUMP NATURE
van Dellen, Blakemore, Deacon, York Hannan
2000, Nature
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NURTURE CAN TRUMP NATURE
Standard housing
Percentage displaying profound symptoms
Enriched housing
Non-Huntingtons
Age (days)
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NURTURE CAN TRUMP NATURE
Standard housing
Percentage displaying profound symptoms
Enriched housing
Non-Huntingtons
Age (days)
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NURTURE CAN TRUMP NATURE
Standard housing
Percentage displaying profound symptoms
Enriched housing
Non-Huntingtons
Age (days)
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CAUTION!

• There is no
• one-to-one relation between a single gene and
• a complex mental
• Trait!

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What is a Mind?
Newborn 3 Months 15
Months 2 Years
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A Pascual-Leone et al J Neurophysiology (1995)
74 3 1037-1045
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Isolated Environment
EnrichedEnvironment
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Developing And Losing Ones Mind
...Reflected In Brain Cell Connections
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THE GROWTH OF THE MIND
earlypostnatalperiod
developingsenescence
senility
maturation
embryo
foetus
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For most of the time, our adult minds are
working the world has a personalized meaning,
due to our personalized brain circuitry
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What is a Mind?

• You are born with almost all your 100 billion
  neurons

• The growth of connections between cells accounts
  for the growth of the brain after birth (150
  trillion)
• These connections reflect experience

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MYTH 2 Girls dont like science technology
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The Technologist Mad, Bad, .and Male
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MYTH 3 Girls are bad at science technology
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WENNERARS WOLD
Nature (1997) 387 341-343
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MYTH 4 Female scientists/ technologists are not
normal
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MYTH 5 Science Technology are removed from
real life
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Out of / blowing your mind.Letting yourself
go..Having a sensational time
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DRUGS WORK BY..

• INCREASING THE CHEMICAL MESSENGER (SPEED)
• SLOWING DOWN ITS REMOVAL (COCAINE)
• EMPTYING ITS STORES (ECSTASY)
• BLOCKING IT ACTING ON TARGET (TRANQUILIZERS)
• ACTING AN IMPOSTOR (HEROIN)
• MAKING TARGET LESS SENSITIVE (ADDICTION)

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Exploding the Myths..
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Selling Science Technology toGirls

• Explode myths
• Role models
• Relevance to everyday life
• Career potential

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Career Potential

• Research in university
• Research in industry
• Starting own company
• Teaching
• Media
• Politics
• Law
• Opinion former/policy maker/leader

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BOTTLE-NECKS Making room
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Fellowships for Women in Science Technology
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Making Room in Science Technology

• Promoting physical sciences/ engineering
• Re-think career structure
• Child-friendly policies
• Returner schemes

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ELEPHANT TRAPS Competing with men
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WOMEN SCIENCE PROFESSORS

• In physical sciences, 97 out of 3,092
• No women professors in Civil Engineering
• Biosciences Less than 10 women professors
• Clinical medicine 7
• The higher the academic grade of a department,
  the lower the female representation

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TRAP 1 Confidence
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TRAP 2 Conflation personal with professional
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The Options..

• Get angry Neurotic
• Suppress Insomnia and ulcers
• Find mentor.

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TRAP 3 Finding the right mentor
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Someone who believes in you, more than you
believe in yourself
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Jane Mellanby
John Stein
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Karra Girl Scientist