Women in Science
Sini and Milja answer questions about their studies in STEM and work at Aqsens.
In 2015, the UN General Assembly established February 11th as the day we recognize the role of women and girls in science and technology. Last year, our Head of Laboratory Vilhelmiina shared her thoughts on the subject. This year, our Application Scientist Sini and Chemistry student Milja, who is completing her master’s thesis here at Aqsens, answered a few questions about studying in a STEM field and working in biotechnology.
What is your specific area of STEM?
Sini: “I completed my Bachelor’s degree in the Biomedicine degree program, and my Master’s in the Drug Discovery and Development program, both at the University of Turku.”
Milja: “I’m in the last year of my master’s studies in Chemistry at the University of Turku. I’m specializing in the chemistry of drug development.”
How did you end up studying natural sciences?
Sini: “Since primary school I have been interested in medicine. My favorite subjects at school were always biology and chemistry. When I was younger, I wanted to be a medical doctor, but in high school I noticed that I actually didn’t like working with patients that much. In high school I discovered a Biomedicine program that combines medicine and biology. Nowadays, I'm most interested in different cancers, their development, and diagnosis and cure.”
Milja: “I’ve been interested in the natural sciences since I was small, and they were the subjects I did the best in at school as well. I’ve always been especially interested in chemistry and biology, and after high school I knew that I wanted to study in a field that could give me the opportunity to work in a meaningful job in drug development, bioanalytics, or other related industry.”
How would you explain what you do at work to someone who’s not familiar with the field?
Sini: “In my work at Aqsens I have many different tasks, some easier than others. In the laboratory, I do practical things like solutions and various research-related tasks. Research is often just about testing different things. Usually my supervisors give me a topic to do background research on, and then I try to apply it to our method. Sometimes it brings new information, sometimes not. So in practice, I either develop and perform assays in the lab or read articles and look for information.”
Milja: “I’m currently doing the practical laboratory work at Aqsens for my master’s thesis. In my thesis I study our E-TRF method's ability to differentiate between different chemical isotopes. I spend quite a lot of time in the laboratory, or discussing my results with my thesis supervisors at Aqsens.”
What are the things you enjoy most in your work or in your studies?
Sini: “My work is versatile and every day is different. The most enjoyable part of my work is the freedom to work in my own way and learn for myself. My days consist of hands-on research work, reading articles and taking care of daily activities related to the laboratory. I also have the greatest colleagues who I enjoy working together with. Our research topics, like cancers and inflammatory diseases, are interesting, and developing better diagnostics methods for these diseases is meaningful and inspires my everyday work.”
Milja: “Chemistry studies have been versatile and I’ve had the opportunity to experiment and think for myself. There are also many possible career options. The studies don’t prepare you to work only in a specific position, but rather after graduation you can build your career based on your own interests.”
How about the most challenging things?
Sini: “The most challenging thing in my work as a scientist is that you can never understand everything and there is always something new to explore. That is of course also a positive thing.”
Milja: “Currently, the most challenging thing for me is managing my free time, because during the day I’m doing lab work related to my thesis, and in the evenings either researching or writing my thesis.”
Any messages to young people, and especially girls who are interested in chemistry or biomedicine?
Sini: “The STEM area is wide and it needs a variety of different knowledge, so finding the topic and field you are actually interested in is the most important. STEM means continuous learning, so it will be more meaningful if you are really interested in it. Always do your best, and dare to be persistent. I think that is how you can succeed in the area of STEM.”
Milja: “When you’re deciding on what to study, it’s important to keep in mind what interests you the most. Studies in a specific field don’t limit you to only a few possibilities, but rather create a basis for all the things you could do in the future. You should also remember that you don’t have to always know everything – the willingness to keep learning is more important.”
In the last decade, women have started to close the gender gap in science and engineering in Europe. As the need for specialists in STEM -related fields increases, it is important to keep encouraging and inspiring young people to become the scientists, engineers, chemists, technicians, analysts, and mathematicians of the future.
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