Meet the winners of the 2022 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award
Award-winning women scientists from Bangladesh, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Yemen will present virtually at AAAS
Today marks the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This year’s theme is Agents of Change, recognizing the role of women and girls in science not just as beneficiaries but as change-makers using science to change the world for the better.
At Elsevier, we’re passionate about championing women scientists. As part of the Elsevier Foundation, we sponsor the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). Since 2012, the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award for Early Career Women Scientist in the Developing World has recognized the achievements of researchers who have made significant contributions to the advancement of science.
Succeeding in science is challenging under the best of circumstances. But women in countries with scarce resources and competing cultural expectations face significant additional obstacles as they strive to excel at careers in science. The OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award takes those factors into account by rewarding the research excellence of early-career women scientists from 81 developing countries. Each year, a total of five winners are selected from the following regions:
Prizes are awarded annually on a rotating basis among the disciplines of Biological Sciences, Engineering Sciences and Physical Sciences. Each recipient will present their research at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which is attended by leading scientists, engineers, educators and policymakers from around the world. This year’s theme also focused on climate change.
We’re pleased to announce this year’s winners. Each has played an extraordinary part in meeting the climate change challenge with incredible results. We’re looking forward to see how their work progresses and the impact it will have on the UN’s Global Goals.
Myriam Mujawamariya of the University of Rwanda — tropical forest ecology and ecophysiology
Dr Myriam Mujawamariya is helping Rwanda tackle climate change by studying how various types of indigenous trees respond to different climate scenarios. Erosion is a major environmental concern in Rwanda, and many efforts are being put into landscape restoration and ecosystem-based adaptation. Dr Mujawamariya tested how 20 native species grown at three sites along a gradient responded to different (simulated) climate change scenarios. The project will contribute to understanding how climate change will influence tropical forest cover, carbon sequestration and biodiversity, not only in Rwanda, but in all of Africa's Western Rift Valley region and beyond.
Flor de Mayo Gonzalez Miranda of the University of Almeria, Guatemala — engineering sciences
Dr Flor de Mayo González Miranda is trying to engineer better landslide prevention for vulnerable areas in Guatemala as climate change is causing increasingly strong periods of rain in a country where much of the terrain is rugged. She is investigating how a specific grass in the vetiver family, Chrysopogon Zizaniodes, can help to prevent landslides. Through soil tests, X-ray diffraction and other techniques, she has shown how the plants' roots alter the chemical, physical and mechanical behavior of the soil, reducing the speed of soil infiltration as well as soil plasticity.
Abeer Ahmed Qaed Ahmed of Al-Saeed University, Yemen — microbiology
Dr Abeer Ahmed Qaed Ahmed is a biologist investigating several different micro- and nano-technology based solutions to pressing problems such as carbon emissions, drug-resistant pathogens, and fossil fuel dependence. She has studied the use of microbial inoculants in agricultural land to increase the carbon sequestration effect and improve soil quality for agriculture, as well as the use of microbes to convert lignocellulosic biomass into pharmaceuticals and other chemical products. This is a more sustainable alternative to fossil-based products.
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Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdury of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh — aquatic ecology
Dr Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury is committed to conserving the aquatic ecosystems and threatened species of Bangladesh. In particular, she focuses on assessing the extent of and the risks from plastic pollution, which is closely linked to climate change. Microplastics and other plastics enter the waterways in Bangladesh from fishing nets, among other sources, and are harmful to threatened species and habitats. Dr Chowdhury is leading an effort to educate women in low income and marginalized fishing communities about how discarded Nylon-6 fishing nets can be turned into new products, such as carpets and clothing, creating an alternative income source for the communities while protecting the wetland habitats.
Heyddy Calderon of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua-Managua — hydrology
Dr Heyddy Calderon is working to provide secure and sustainable water sources for vulnerable populations in a region of Central America known as the “Dry Corridor.” To better understand climate threats and vulnerability in the region, Dr Calderon and colleagues set about forming a network of scientists in Central American with expertise in water, social and economic fields who are committed to improving the population's capacity to cope with climate variability and climate change, and to providing information that can help decision-makers and local stakeholders plan and prepare for the future.
Ashani Savinda Ranathunga of the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka — geotechnical engineering
Dr Ashani Savinda Ranathunga’s work revolves around the concept of “waste to wealth,” turning industrial and agricultural waste into man-made (anthropogenic) soil for use in geotechnical engineering. Her research findings enable local waste to be used for economical and eco-friendly construction and development projects. Specifically, she is using industrial waste products like fly ash and calcium carbide residues, and agricultural waste products like paddy husk ash and corn cob ash, to stabilize soft soil that is otherwise too weak for construction, thereby giving infrastructure a longer life.?
Watch the AAAS panel
The panel of award recipients will meet on Saturday, Feb 19. Here's how to watch:
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