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UKWIAN with the purpose of providing positive role models for women who are interested in astronomy,
both as amateurs and professionals. They already had a substantial following on Facebook and Twitter
before their official launch at the NW Astronomy Festival. The festival featured several guest speakers,
including Mark Thompson (astronomer from The One Show and Stargazing Live), Gary Fildes (from the
Kielder Observatory), Nick Howes (from the Faulkes Telescope), Andy Newsam (from the Astrophysics
Research Institute at Liverpool John Moores University) and Sheila Kanani (Dr. of Planetary Science). As part
of the festival, the UKWIAN had an exhibition stand which featured biographies of inspirational women in
astronomy together with inspirational quotes from them. It also included an exhibition of astronomy photographs taken by women astrophotographers of all different ability levels. The photographs were made
into a video slide show which was being shown on a large TV screen displayed above the exhibition stand.
I have been assisting the UKWIAN for several weeks now, not only by looking after their Facebook page
and Twitter feed, but by helping to collate the biographies, quotes and astrophotos for the exhibition
stand. The response to the UKWIAN has been overwhelmingly positive and I feel very proud to be a part
of it. A very small number of people have voiced their concerns about sexism. They are not excluding
men; in fact, there are quite a few males who have shown their support by following the Twitter account
and becoming members of the Facebook group. UKWIAN is not trying to exclude anybody; they simply
strive towards gender equality and want to try and help to raise the currently appalling ratio of women
in astronomy, and help women to stand alongside their male counterparts.
Next to the UKWIAN stand at the astronomy festival was Women Rock Science, who were displaying posters
of women who changed the world with astronomy, biographies and badges. They were also running a
fun quiz.
It is true that many branches of science and astronomy are still male dominated, but women are fighting back. I know I’ll never be a professional astronomer, but I’m a girl, and I’m proud to love astronomy.
To paraphrase the late Ann Richards (Governor of Texas) “A woman’s place is in the dome” - in this case,
an astronomy dome!
ICY SCIENCE | WINTER 2013- 2014