FindingAda founder Suw Charman-Anderson is going to host a series of audio conversations with women in STEM on Twitter Spaces over the next few weeks. She’ll be having an information chat for half an hour or so, and you’ll be able to ask questions via Twitter.
Spaces is Twitter’s new audio broadcast service. You can listen via Twitter.com or on the official Twitter app on any device. Just click the link below and you’ll be taken to the conversation, or keep an eye out in the Twitter app for a notification. You can also set a reminder if you click this link before the broadcast starts.
Thurs 10 June, 15:00 BST: Shraddha Surana on mentoring
Shraddha and Suw will be talking about Shraddha’s experience mentoring, why she decided to become a mentor, why mentoring is important, and lots more. To listen to Shraddha and Suw talk about mentoring, open this link in your browser or the official Twitter app at 3pm on 10th June.
Shraddha Surana is the global data community lead at Thoughtworks, with an interest in anything data, algorithms & sciences. She has published papers & given conference talks on machine learning and has worked in BFSI, retail, astrophysics & life science domains. Along with her job, she mentors several students from India & Africa. She is the co-organiser of the ‘Bridge&Beyond’ series that helps to bridge the academic-industry gap. She strives to create & be part of a system where people look out for each other.
Twitter: @SuranaShraddha
LinkedIn: /shraddasurana
Blog: @Shradda.Surana
Thurs 24 June, 19:00 BST: Sue Nelson on women in space
Sue will be talking to Suw about NASA’s bid to put the first woman on the Moon, European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti going back into space, and the ESA’s call for astronauts. Spaces link to come.
An award-winning radio producer, science journalist and former BBC TV science and environment correspondent, Sue has reported on science for all the BBC’s national television and radio news programmes.
Sue has presented numerous Radio 4 programmes, was editor of The Biologist (2010-15) and produces documentaries for BBC radio. She is a published playwright, has written for a TV game show, most of the UK’s newspapers and has had several screenplays made into short films. Her latest book, Wally Funk’s Race for Space, was published in 2019 (USA and UK paperback).
Twitter: @ScienceNelson
Web: boffinmedia.co.uk
Thurs 8 July, 19:00 BST: Dr Helen Scales on her new book, The Brilliant Abyss
Helen and Suw will be talking about Helen’s new book, The Brilliant Abyss, which “brings to life the majesty and mystery of an alien realm that nonetheless sustains us, while urgently making clear the price we could pay if it is further disrupted”. In the UK, you can buy direct from Bloomsbury and get a 20% discount with the code OCEAN20. The Brilliant Abyss will be published in the US and Canada in early July. Spaces link to come.
Dr Helen Scales is a marine biologist, writer and broadcaster. She is author of the Guardian bestseller Spirals in Time, New Scientist book of the year Eye of the Shoal, and the children’s book The Great Barrier Reef. She writes for National Geographic Magazine, the Guardian, and New Scientist, among others. She teaches at Cambridge University and is science advisor for the marine conservation charity Sea Changers. Helen divides her time between Cambridge, England, and the wild Atlantic coast of France.
Twitter: @helenscales
Instagram: @drhelenscales
Web: helenscales.com
Suw Charman-Anderson is the founder of FindingAda.com which inspires and supports women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) with three major projects: Ada Lovelace Day, an international celebration of women’s achievements in STEM; the Finding Ada Conference, an online event covering careers, equality, and widening participation; and the Finding Ada Network, an online mentorship platform.
Vanessa is one of the UK’s most well-networked women and has provided keynotes on a variety of career related topics for over 500 companies worldwide. Vanessa is also one of the UK’s most prominent figures in gender equality and often provides guidance and consultancy to both government and corporate organisations who are seeking to attract, develop and retain their female talent. Vanessa was awarded her OBE in June 2018 for her services to women and the economy.
Elisabeth Holm, an aspiring computer scientist with a passion for AI/Machine learning, has been an ambassador and advocate for girls in STEM for 8 years. Elisabeth is a former research intern at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and “graduate” of the Qualcomm (Q-Camp) – Women in Technology (WiTech) multi-year program for girls in STEM. Raised in a multi-generational home and with ancestry from Indigenous Americas, Elisabeth founded the Sisterhood of Native American Coders (SONAC) to apply her talents in computer science to support an underserved community that is both personal to her and honours her late grandmother. Elisabeth hopes to bring access, exposure, and mentoring to underrepresented Native American girls as to address the disparities in their opportunities to learn, and inspire the next generation of young female innovators. Ms Holm is an avid programmer, roboticist, the Founder of the “Best in Class” Python Club at her school, and currently enrolled in the MIT 6-month Online Science Technology and Engineering Community program (MOSTEC).
As Chief Communications Officer, April Moh leads SUSE’s integrated communications team spanning brand strategy, public relations, internal and executive communications and customer marketing. She is also the executive sponsor of SUSE’s first employee network group – the Women in Tech Network.
Tara Scott is currently the Route Infrastructure Engineer for the East Midlands Route. During her 15 years with Network Rail she has worked through frontline roles including Track Section Manager (Milton Keynes) and Track Maintenance Engineer (Euston) as well as central engineering roles. Recently she successfully led a project with Network Rail Consulting in Toronto working with the Toronto Transit Commission. As well as being Chartered Engineer with IET, Tara is a fellow of the Permanent Way Institution and sits on their Academic Panel.
Joeli is the founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, an organisation which protects and supports women who encounter pregnancy and maternity discrimination and lobbies the Government for legislative change. 54,000 women a year are pushed out of their jobs for getting pregnant or taking maternity leave and 77% of working mums encounter some form of discrimination in the workplace. This type of discrimination is a major contributor to the gender pay gap, and via her training organisation, ‘Gendering Change’, Joeli is on a mission to make the labour market work for parents.
Today we launch our new Four Week Intensive Mentoring Program for women in STEM, which is based on the successful mentoring work we’ve been doing with the 
Miriam Tocino is a software developer, programming teacher, and mum dedicated to making computers more approachable, friendly, and easy to understand. She is the author of Zerus & Ona, a book series that teaches young children about the digital world without the need for a screen.
Kate Wilson is the managing director of Nosy Crow. Kate started working in publishing in 1986 and has worked in the industry ever since, mainly in children’s books. She started her career as a rights seller, and held senior management roles in publishing including MD of Macmillan Children’s Books and Group MD of Scholastic UK Ltd. She cares about good books, design, literacy and technology.
Lisa Rajan writes the Tara Binns children’s books, which are about a girl who tries out different STEM-related jobs – engineer, scientist, vet, doctor, conservationist, astronaut, inventor, pilot and coder to name but a few. Tara Binns has to be creative, logical, resilient, brave and diplomatic to get the job done and save the day each time. The books aim to raise aspiration, broaden horizons and put big ideas in little minds. Lisa currently has 20 titles published by HarperCollins in their Big Cat reading scheme, with more in the pipeline. Lisa has done a fair few jobs herself since graduating with a BSc in Biochemistry and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London – scientist, editor, medical writer, advertising copywriter, politician, financial researcher, book-keeper and author. She lives in London with her husband and three children and wants to be a forensic scientist and a scriptwriter when she grows up.