“If we are going to change the structure of oceanography, we all need to work on it together”
In our latest podcast episode, our conversation focuses on issues of underrepresentation in the field of oceanography and marine sciences. Historically, women have always had challenges in accessing careers in oceanography and while things have improved since the days they were actually banned from boarding ships, there is still a lack of equity at the higher career levels.
To discuss these challenges, and offer some guidelines for improvement, our guest is Sonya Legg. Sonya is a physical oceanographer from Princeton University in the US, and she has been actively involved in many mentoring and supporting initiatives for underrepresented groups in oceanography.
Sonya explains what barriers exist and how this is hampering the quality of science that can be collectively achieved, she also shares her experience and offers useful tips for early stage scientists. Importantly, Sonya identifies areas for improvement and actions that can be taken to improve things, and she highlights the need for everyone to realise and undertake the role that they have to play in this.