International Day of Women and Girls in Science marks tenth year
Established by the United Nations, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated on February 11 each year.
It promotes equal access and participation for women and girls in the field.
At Scarborough, Hull and York Pathology Service (SHYPS), nearly 70 per cent of the more than 550 scientists are women.
The day acknowledges the critical role of women as leaders in science and emphasises the importance of inspiring young girls to pursue scientific careers through education.
Joanna Andrew, the network lead for blood sciences, began her career in 1992 as a medical laboratory assistant.
She moved to York in 1998 and has successfully progressed in her career to now manage the blood sciences departments across SHYPS, with laboratories processing more than 10,000 patient samples daily.
Ms Andrew was elected as president of the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) in 2024, with one of her key goals being to increase the visibility of her profession.
She has personally helped younger scientists to professionally develop.
She said: "It's important we mark ten years of International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
"I'm very proud of women in the workforce who have progressed in their careers."
York St John University graduate Ella Wharram works in the laboratories at York Hospital.
Now a biomedical scientist in microbiology, Ms Wharram has described how her route to being appointed wasn't as straightforward as she hoped, after struggling with A level grades.
Reflecting on her career, she said: "My academic path wasn't easy, but I found my way back to science.
"Initially, I wanted to be a midwife but realised I was more drawn to the investigative side of microbiology.
"I love the detective-like nature of my work, interpreting complex results and solving medical puzzles.
"After school, I worked in a pharmacy to get the clinical knowledge required; I then decided to go back to college.
"If any young girl reads this, who is considering a career in science, I'd love them to know there are different ways of achieving it - go for it!"
As part of the NHS 10 Year plan, Ms Andrew regularly presents to conferences across the country; she also attends award ceremonies such as the IBMS awards, where she networks with women scientists.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wall Street Journal
5 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
FDA's Reversal on Gene Therapy Helps My Son
Thank you for your editorial 'On Sarepta, a Welcome FDA Reversal' (Review & Outlook, July 30). As a parent of an 11-year-old son with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I know the devastation this diagnosis brings. I also know the hope that gene therapy such as Elevidys can bring. Such therapies have helped my son, Andrew, fight back against a disease that once offered no chance to do so. I'm concerned about the recent debate surrounding Elevidys and gene therapies like it. The death of any patient participating in a clinical trial is heartbreaking. Such tragedies and regulatory reactions to them risk casting a shadow over therapies like Elevidys.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Andrew Flintoff hails NHS staff who cared for him after car crash
Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff has praised the 'love and compassion' of NHS staff who cared for him after his car crash at a Top Gear test track. The former international cricketer visited hospital workers who looked after him in the aftermath of the accident, which he described as 'the lowest I've ever been'. In December 2022, Flintoff sustained severe injuries while filming at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey for an episode of BBC show Top Gear. His surgeon described Flintoff's case as one of the most complex he has ever seen. The former international cricketer was airlifted to St George's Hospital in Tooting – a major trauma centre. 'I just want to say a massive thank you to all the staff at St George's,' Flintoff said. 'I came here probably the lowest I've ever been, in need of help and the expertise, the love, the compassion they showed me was incredible. 'I'll be eternally grateful – absolute superheroes.' Recalling the incident, consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon Jahrad Haq, said: 'I was on call that day and received a phone call from the emergency department consultant. 'A lot of injuries are managed at a more junior level before escalating, so I knew this one was serious. 'Of all the trauma cases I've seen in over 20 years, this was among the most complex.' Shamim Umarji, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, said: 'It's very rewarding when patients come back and you get to see them not just as patients, but as people. It's a real privilege. 'When you see their recovery, you remember how important our job is. 'It was wonderful to see Freddie again and his visit gave staff a real boost. He spent a lot of time chatting to everyone and it meant a lot.' Kate Slemeck, managing director for St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: 'I'm incredibly proud of the care we provide at St George's. 'It's always heart-warming to hear from patients about the expert care, compassion and kindness they've received from our clinical and support teams, and this shows the lasting impact they have on people, long after they've left hospital.' During a documentary about the accident, Flintoff described how he used the split-second decision-making from his cricketing days to try to reduce the impact of the crash. He said he was 'pulled face-down on the runway' for about 50 metres under the car. The former England star said he thought he had died in the accident. For months after the crash Flintoff disappeared from public view and would leave his house only for medical appointments His recovery has been documented in a documentary, Flintoff, streamed on Disney+.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
How the tomato created the potato
What came first, the potato or the tomato? A new genetics study says the answer is that juicy, fragrant tomatoes were the first to arrive on planet Earth, and eventually helped starchy spuds do the same. About 9 million years ago, a natural inbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and a potato-like plant species in present-day South America gave way to what we know as the potato. This new (and nutritious) plant arose from an evolutionary event that triggered the formation of the tuber–the underground structure that plants like potatoes, yams, and taros use to store food. The findings are detailed in a study published July 31 in the journal Cell. 'Our findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge,' Sanwen Huang, a study co-author and agricultural genomicist at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said in a statement. 'We've finally solved the mystery of where potatoes came from.' A puzzling plant Potatoes are one of humanity's most important crops. Spuds provide basic nutrients including carbohydrates, dietary fiber (found in their skin), and vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium, and iron. They are also considered a climate-friendly crop by the United Nations, due to their low greenhouse gas emissions compared to other crops. They can also grow in areas where some natural resources are limited and expensive. Potatoes are versatile and can grow in a wide variety of conditions, making them a good crop choice for several regions. Despite being such a staple crop, the origin of this starchy staple has puzzled scientists. Modern potato plants physically look almost identical to three potato-like species from Chile called Etuberosums. However, Etuberosums do not have the signature tubers that allow potatoes to store nutrients and easily reproduce. This is part of why Etuberosums are considered 'potato-like' and not full spuds. Phylogenetic analysis also shows that potato plants are actually more closely related to tomatoes than Etuberosums. To look closer, the research team from this new paper studied 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes common on farms and 56 wild potato species. 'Wild potatoes are very difficult to sample, so this dataset represents the most comprehensive collection of wild potato genomic data ever analyzed,' added Zhiyang Zhang, a study co-author and biologist at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, part of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Every potato species contained a mix of genetic material from both Etuberosum and tomato plants. According to the team, this suggests that modern potatoes originated from a hybridization event–when individuals from two different species successfully reproduce–between these plants millions of years ago. While Etuberosums and tomatoes are distinct species, they do share a common ancestor that lived about 14 million years ago. Even after diverging for about 5 million years, both could interbreed. This interbreeding is what gave rise to the earliest potato plants with tubers roughly 9 million years ago. [ Related: Scientists finally figured out why tomatoes don't kill you. ] A model of survival The researchers also traced the origins of the key tuber-forming genes within the potato. The gene that tells the plant when to start making tubers (called SP6A) came from the tomato side of the family and not the potato-like plants. A separate important gene which helps control growth of the underground stems that form tubers (called IT1) came from the Etuberosum side. Without either of these genetic pieces, it would be impossible for the resulting hybrid offspring to produce tubers. Additionally, this evolutionary innovation overlapped with the rapid uplift of the Andes mountains. New ecological environments were emerging with all of this upheaval. Early potatoes were able to respond with a tuber that stores nutrients underground–a very helpful trait for surviving harsh mountain weather conditions. Tubers also allow potato plants to reproduce without pollination or seeds. Buds sprout right from the tuber to grow new plants, so this trait helped potatoes rapidly spread. They eventually filled diverse ecological niches from the mild lower-lying grasslands up to high and cold meadows in Central and South America. 'Evolving a tuber gave potatoes a huge advantage in harsh environments, fueling an explosion of new species and contributing to the rich diversity of potatoes we see and rely on today,' Huang said. Solve the daily Crossword
