Celebrating CPI's Women in Science

Last week was ‘National Apprenticeship Week’, ending on Sunday 11th February, which also happened to be the ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’. An annual observance, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to promote the full and equal access and participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics[1] (STEM).

As an enthusiastic STEM Ambassador and proud member of CPI’s ‘Women in CPI’ (WICPI) affinity group, I wanted to take the opportunity to shine a light on some of my fantastic female colleagues, who go above and beyond to passionately inspire young girls and women through CPI’s STEM outreach programme.

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There is still plenty of progress to be made in finding gender-balance throughout STEM-related subjects and subsequent career pathways. However, these individuals, along with many others throughout CPI (and beyond), do an incredible job in helping to bridge that gap and drive awareness of the endless, exciting opportunities available to young girls and women within STEM-related organisations.

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I’d like to start by recognising Karen Burgess (L&D Specialist, People & Culture, CPI Corporate Functions). Whilst CPI has had STEM Ambassador representation for many years, Karen has significantly improved our involvement since joining the company. From organising countless events, setting up networks and partnerships, improving internal STEM Ambassador communications, to producing a library of tools and materials, to name just a few. Karen is bundle of energy and has an unwavering commitment to promoting STEM, as well as learning and development in general. She is an absolute pleasure to work with. When asked what motivates her, Karen responded:

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“I was keen to align CPI's STEM programme with our company value of diverse people and workforce development priorities, to deliver maximum impact within our local communities. Through the programme we aim to inform and inspire young people around STEM careers. To stimulate a diverse talent pipeline for the sector with a key focus on raising aspirations and challenging stereotypes by targeting low socio-economic and under-represented groups. STEM outreach activity also provides an opportunity for skill development within the existing CPI workforce, particularly around communication, presentation, and leadership skills.”

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If you work at CPI and you’re interested in getting involved in our STEM Programme, please reach out to Karen for more information on how to become an ambassador. Also, check out Karen’s recent video on apprenticeships here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7161351566292045824/

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The first of our ambassadors I’d like to acknowledge is Louise Taylor (Training Academy Lead – RNA, National Biologics Centre, CPI, Darlington). I had great fun spending the day at one of our local partner schools, Longfield Academy, where Louise is our Enterprise Advisor. Louise coordinated the event with precision, which involved 7 members of staff from CPI delivering 6x 1-hour STEM-based lessons to 155 students aged 11-16 yrs throughout the day. As a trained Project Manager, I was in awe of how well the event had been planned, coordinated, and executed, whilst also ensuring it was enjoyable for all involved. Kudos Louise!

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Louise shared:

“The best part of being a STEM Ambassador for me is how interested students are when we speak about the careers and projects we have at CPI. It’s nice to show them what’s available locally and alternative routes like apprenticeships. It’s great when we can do a practical experiment as you tend to get some students who are adamant theirs won’t work, but by the end they’ve managed to extract DNA from strawberries or make slime.”

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Next up we have Olivia Waugh RSciTech (Apprentice Scientist, National Biologics Centre, CPI, Darlington). Despite being in the early stages of her own career, Liv has proven to be one of CPI’s most active ambassadors, proactively championing apprenticeships and raising awareness on all things STEM. ??

When asked what motivated her to become a STEM Ambassador and how it has benefited her, Liv provided some brilliant insight: ?

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"STEM has always been incredibly important to me growing up, showing a strong interest in STEM subjects from a young age but not truly knowing the possibilities of STEM careers, and that is why I signed up to be a STEM Ambassador.

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My past 1.5 years as a STEM Ambassador has been an incredible experience, truly pushing me to develop as a person, developing new skills and inspiring a whole new generation of students along the way. Before I started my apprenticeship journey, my knowledge of apprenticeships was little-to none, especially my knowledge of apprenticeships in STEM. Due to this, I’ve felt incredibly passionate about ensuring that access and opportunities in STEM is fair, equal and accessible to all that are interested.

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STEM has played a huge role in my career and being a STEM Ambassador has motivated me to put myself out there, going to schools all across the Northeast, reaching over 1500 students ranging from 4 years old up to 18, and building a strong network along the way. I’m incredibly proud of my journey as a STEM Ambassador, and I’m looking forward to continuing my journey."

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The number of events that Liv has contributed to and the number of young people she has reached is truly astonishing. She continues to be one of my personal inspirations when it comes to my own STEM ambassador commitments.

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We then have Lynsey Blain (Bid Development Manager, Biotechnology, CPI), who sits on the WICPI group with me. Within the group, Lynsey has shown a strong commitment to supporting her fellow female colleagues across the organisation, providing valuable input on key topics such as:

• Paternity & Maternity – for support before/during maternity/paternity leave and upon returning.
• Menopause/Perimenopause – for support discussing/experiencing menopause in the workplace.
• Career Development – for early and late career development/progression.
• Comeback Careers – for support navigating the workplace after a period of leave.?

Lynsey is also one of our STEM Ambassadors and when asked what motivates her to support the initiative Lynsey shared:

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"Throughout my career I have always enjoyed supporting STEM-related activities and inspiring children and young adults to be involved in science. It is so rewarding to see the next generation get excited about science and enjoy taking part in practical experiments. There is often a perception in kids that science is for boys, and I am passionate about changing this mentality… science is also for girls!!"

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Another individual that I’m aware of, but have not had the pleasure of working with, is Heather Walton (Senior Chemist, Medicines Manufacturing Centre, CPI, Glasgow). I’ve been told of how Heather is one of our most active ambassadors, representing CPI up in Scotland, so I reached out to find out why Heather took up her role as an ambassador and what she enjoys most. She said:

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"I became a STEM Ambassador to show young people that working as a scientist is a real possibility which they can aim towards, and to help them achieve this aim if possible. Showing girls the opportunities that are open to them in a field which I have often heard is ‘more for boys’ has always been a great motivator for me, and I have taken part in a variety of activities including practical sessions, ‘I'm a Scientist get me out of here’ online chats, and 1:1 mentoring.

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Practical activities have always been my favourite, because you can see that so many people you are interacting with are having really good fun getting to try something new, but the online activities can also be very fulfilling when you realise the difference a small amount of your time can make to a young person, because you might have a perspective they cannot get anywhere else."

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Finally, I’d like to acknowledge Katie Richardson (Process Engineer II, Biotechnology, CPI, Wilton). Having previously undertaken a placement here at CPI, Katie has returned and joined our Process Engineering group on a permanent contract, following the completion of her degree. It is admirable how she has recently taken up the role of chair of the WICPI group, taking the lead in driving our initiatives forward. Clearly demonstrating that age should not be a prohibiting factor when taking up opportunities to demonstrate leadership qualities. Her courage, level-headedness and pragmatism should be an inspiration to not only her female peers, but all those in the early stages of their career. She’s certainly inspired me and continues to do so.

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So, “thank you” to you all, for your commitment in spreading the good word around STEM and for all of the hard work and passion you show to the initiative. You’re an inspiration to your colleagues and all those that you engage with.

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I started drafting up this message whilst on the long train journey home from Birmingham, having spent the day at the High Value Manufacturing Catapult headquarters supporting and learning from Sophie Walton (Director of Strategic Partnerships), one of our many outstanding female leaders at CPI. So, it feels fitting that I should sign-off with one last piece of recognition for all of the other women in science, engineering, technology and mathematics, that I work with on a daily basis throughout CPI, at every level and in every department and role. There’s simply far too many to mention, which is a fantastic fact in itself!

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[1] International Day of Women and Girls in Science, In?Wikipedia. Retrieved February 12, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Women_and_Girls_in_Science