While women in STEM careers are traditionally underrepresented, it doesn't mean they're not there, kicking ass and capturing data all around the world.
Enter Science-a-thon, a one-day celebration of women in science to raise money for the Earth Science Women's Network, a nonprofit helping women in the field.
On July 13, 2017 (and a few folks on the 14th), female scientists took to Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #DayOfScience to share photos and stories of their day, from routine observations to groundbreaking research.
The result is a rare look at what it's like to be a professional woman in science. It goes a little something like this.
1. It's never too early to get up and get to work. Science waits for no woman.
2. Some start the day with coffee. Others jump-start their mornings with natural uranium. To each her own.
3. Whether you're hard at work in the lab...
4. ...feeling the wind in your hair in the field...
5. ...or knocking out reports at your desk...
6. ...there's always something new to do and discover!
And confirming how awesome your discovery is is half the fun.
7. But that doesn't mean women in science are always off by themselves. After all, science is a team sport.
8. When it comes to saving the world, you can never have too much help.
9. Women in science also spend time teaching and presenting their findings.
10. Their lectures and mentorships mean we'll have #DayOfScience (and groundbreaking research) for years to come.
11. Being this badass doesn't happen overnight. It takes years of training, education, and hard work.
12. Especially when you're up against people who don't understand how valuable your work really is.
Cough cough, science is real, cough cough.
13. No matter what challenges stand in their way, women in science will continue to research, study, analyze, and record.
After all, it's what they do. And they're really freaking good at it.
14. At the end of the day, even these science superheroes get a break from saving the world.
15. After all the work they do, they certainly deserve it.
Miss out on Day of Science? No worries, there are still plenty of ways to get involved.
Visit a science museum. Tell your legislator that science and research are important to you. Learn more about the research happening at your local college or university. Donate to the Earth Science Women's Network, or other organizations that support women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and math. Remind the children in your life that women in science do legendary stuff every single day. And check out the hashtag #DayOfScience to see it for yourself.
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