Women in STEM: four steps to a stronger Athena Swan application
This charter of commitment to women's careers in STEM is gaining traction, says Paul Brennan, but it's not enough to 'look' good – departments must follow through with actionA change is in the air: Athena Swan, the charter recognising commitment to women's careers in STEM, has become a topic of conversation at meetings in universities up and down the country. I was at a leukaemia research meeting only the other week and spent most of my coffee break talking about the scheme.Minds have been focused by money. The National Institute for Health Research's BRC/BRU funding will require a minimum silver Athena Swan award, which can only be obtained following a submission to the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU). For this reason, most universities and departments now have their own self-assessment team preparing or planning applications, with over 90 awaiting decisions from the last round.I recently sat on an Athena Swan assessment...