The Last Ceiling: UM-Horn Point Students Push for Women Leadership in Marine Science

It was reassuring to sit down with three women graduate students at Horn Point Lab the other day, not one of them had experienced any second-guessed in their schools or among their peers about their desire to have a career in Marine Science. While decades ago, traditional science jobs were held by mostly men, it was a relief that for this new generation of scientists are long gone.

But it was still a bit disconcerting for Lexy McCarty, Anna Windle, and Hannah Morrissette to arrive at Horn Point to start their Ph.D. work only to find that only 30 percent of the facility and senior administrators at one of the University of Maryland’s premier research institutions were women.

But rather than seen this as an injustice to be fixed by policy, Lexy, Anna and Hannah realized that the best way to make a difference was to start a peer support group for women (and supportive men) to encourage women in marine science. They formed a chapter of the Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS) to do just that.

In their interview with the Spy a few weeks ago, the three women came to the Spy Studio to talk about their careers, the importance of mentoring and support, and SWMS activities, which will include their first symposium on the Eastern Shore.

The symposium, “Diving Deep into Scientific Communication” will be held on September 13 -14 at the Horn Point Laboratory to connect attendees with future marine science leaders, gain career advice from a panel of marine scientists, improve scientific communication skills, and educate those young minds to think ambitiously about their future in science.

For more information about the HPL SWMS chapter and future events, visit their website here or follow them on twitter @hpl_swms.

This video is approximately three minutes in length. To learn more about Saturday’s outreach event for middle and high school students, contact  [email protected] or call Carin Starr 410-221-8408.