AsianScientist (Could 06, 2024)–In 2023, Professor Katalin Karikó and Professor Anne L’Huillier every acquired the Nobel prize for physiology/drugs and physics respectively. Starting their careers within the Eighties, Karikó and L’Huillier confronted main obstacles and encountered quite a few naysayers. Regardless of the challenges, they every constructed illustrious careers and made vital contributions to their fields—Karikó and her companion found vital modifications in RNA for the event of mRNA vaccines whereas L’Huillier and her group made breakthroughs in experimental strategies for the research of electron dynamics.
Karikó and L’Huillier are simply two current examples of how the efforts of girls in STEM have been more and more acknowledged through the years. Whereas it stays that lower than 30 per cent of the world’s researchers are ladies, with extra packages encouraging women and girls to pursue their scientific passions, the variety of ladies in STEM college programs and the workforce are persistently rising.
Over the past 25 years, the L’Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for Ladies in Science has supported this trigger globally with a prestigious endowment to assist ladies scientists everywhere in the world advance their analysis. The Singapore version was launched in 2009 and has assisted 27 ladies scientists and disbursed over S$270,000 value of endowment to-date.
This yr, L’Oréal Singapore celebrated three excellent ladies researchers. In an awards ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur, Dr Leow Wan Ru, Dr Yang Le and Dr Xue Shifeng emerged as beneficiaries, every receiving S$10,000 in direction of their analysis in sustainable chemistry, materials engineering and biotechnology. AsianScientist spoke to the three esteemed awardees to search out out extra about their work, motivations and experiences.
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Dr Leow Wan Ru
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Every day, 1.5 million barrels of oil are refined in Singapore to make the chemical compounds that go into what we put on, eat, use and personal. The carbon dioxide launched makes up roughly half of Singapore’s emissions—making the seek for a sustainable various crucial.
Dr Leow Wan Ru, a scientist on the Institute of Sustainability for Chemical substances, Vitality and Atmosphere labored along with her group to pioneer a groundbreaking methodology for producing ethylene oxide—the 14th most produced chemical globally. Her innovation leverages renewable electrical energy and emits no carbon dioxide, eradicating a lot of the environmental toll related to conventional strategies.
“I imagine our analysis could make a huge impact on Singapore’s economic system, in addition to decarbonization targets. The outcomes can profit not solely our nation, however the area as a complete,” mentioned Leow.
Moreover, Leow shared that her group is the primary to develop a brand new kind of electrified system that may enhance the speed of ethylene oxide manufacturing by at the very least 10 instances that of prior studies. Leow and her group proceed to work on renewable strategies to conduct different chemical conversions with equally excessive carbon footprints like terephthalic acid.
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Dr Le Yang
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“Early in my educational journey, I acknowledged the transformative potential of natural and polymer supplies, significantly within the realm of optoelectronics and versatile electronics,” shared Dr Le Yang, a gaggle chief on the Institute of Supplies Analysis and Engineering. “I goal to advance world well-being by way of analysis—and the highest two common issues are power and healthcare.”
Yang’s work, the Wearable In-situ Sensorics for Well being (WISH) know-how, is a pioneering effort to create non-invasive, real-time, wi-fi and steady chemo-sensing on the pores and skin. By offering sufferers the chance to successfully monitor their well being, the know-how empowers them to take proactive management of their well-being.
The supplies Yang explores have an immense potential to revolutionize healthcare. With additional innovation, Yang envisions a future the place such applied sciences develop into integral to each day life, advancing a wide range of fields together with healthcare, power, communication and human-computer interactions.
As a pacesetter in her area, Yang actively contributes to selling variety in STEM fields. She hopes to encourage the subsequent era of scientists no matter their gender and believes that initiatives just like the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Ladies in Science program play an important function in fostering inclusivity.
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Dr Xue Shifeng
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As a college scholar, Dr Xue Shifeng, now Assistant Professor on the Nationwide College of Singapore, was impressed by watching fish and frog embryos develop from eggs. This expertise set her on a path in direction of understanding the orchestration of genes in embryonic improvement and illness.
Right now, her analysis is centered on the research of epigenetic repression in improvement and illness—particularly human congenital problems. Of their work, Xue and her group recognized the genetic mutations that trigger people to be born with no nostril. The invention represented a big step in direction of understanding the gene’s function in early embryonic improvement.
“My group and I goal to proceed our work with uncommon genetic problems, collaborating with extra clinicians and sufferers. Past genetic mutations, we additionally research gene regulation to know how genes activate and off,” she mentioned. “Many frequent illnesses aren’t attributable to genetic mutations however modifications in how a lot gene merchandise are produced. We hope to develop instruments to show genes on and off at will to be used in analysis and in future remedy.”
All through her profession, Xue has skilled vital private progress. One hurdle she continues to work by way of is discovering the boldness to talk boldly at giant conferences. For Xue, making use of for the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Ladies in Science award was a giant step in direction of reaching her targets.
“I spotted that to encourage the subsequent era of girls in my area, I wanted to share my story. This supplied me with an amazing platform to be heard. I imagine that science wants extra younger and enthusiastic ladies; it’s not only for the elite few. I’m striving to do my half in serving to these ladies imagine in themselves and goal large,” she mentioned.
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Supply: L’Oreal Singapore
Disclaimer: This text doesn’t essentially mirror the views of AsianScientist or its employees.