By Daniela Nolan, PG Dip Mathematics, Department of Mathematics
During my A-Levels I was sometimes the only girl in the class. Going to university knowing I was going to be studying a male dominated subject was a bit daunting for me. Once I got to King’s I found out about all the things that are offered to support women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
To start with there are more girls in my lectures than I thought there would be. I never feel singled out or treated differently. All of my lecturers are some of my module tutors are women. I find these women very inspirational as they go against the stereotype and show that it is possible to succeed academically as a woman in STEM.
Outside of academics there are a number of societies that are set up to support women in science subjects. There is Women in STEM and Womxn in Physics which are both societies that are run by students. They both host a variety of event such as socials where you get to meet and talk to other STEM students, talks from women in the department and skills sessions. I have regularly attended the ‘Learn LaTeX’ classes and found them particularly useful as LaTeX is something I use almost every day as part of my degree. There is also the KCL Women in Business and Finance Society which is worth joining if you are interested in working in the industry.
Every October the Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Sciences has a Women in Science week. This year the week featured a movie night, the Women in Science Scholarship & Prize-winners lunch and Ada Lovelace Day. The Ada Lovelace Day talks made me more aware of the issues faced by women in STEM and the discussions about what we can do to strive to achieve gender equality.
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