Images of women who have worked and studied at the University's Lighthouse Field Station in Cromarty are being 'virtually projected' onto the Lighthouse to celebrate their contribution to science, research and teaching there.
The virtual screening can be viewed online and highlights a selection of the more than 120 women that have contributed to the field station since it opened in 1990.
The University of Aberdeen Lighthouse Field Station, in the small coastal community of Cromarty, celebrates over 30 years of teaching and research on the ecology of marine mammals and northern fulmars with an online exhibition shining a spotlight on the inspirational women who have worked and studied there over the years.
Since 1990 the Lighthouse Field Station has provided a Highland base for marine biologists from the University and research carried out on the ecology and conservation of marine top predators has impacted on the way scientists from all over the world understand and manage marine ecosystems.
In its short history, the research coming out of the field station has impacted on marine conservation projects all over the world. Recently, the team has led an interdisciplinary study to investigate the consequences of offshore windfarm construction on marine mammal populations, with the results used to reduce the impact on marine mammals and inform windfarm developments worldwide. More locally, early research on bottlenose dolphins on the east coast of Scotland underpinned the creation and management of the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation to protect this small population. This study has shown that the bottlenose dolphin population is increasing, and recent research has provided rare evidence of increasing reproduction and early survival in wildlife using a marine protected area.
As part of the University’s wider International Women’s Day 2021 celebrations, the profiles of women who have worked and studied at the field station will be highlighted weekly on their website and are virtually screened onto the front of the Lighthouse.
The team at Cromarty linked up with International Women and Girls in Science Day to launch the screening on February 11 this year with the aim to inspire young women to pursue a career in science by highlighting the research and teaching at the Lighthouse.
Barbara Cheney, Research Fellow at the Field Station, who is curating the project explains: “We are extremely proud of the work we do at the field station and feel privileged to follow in the footsteps of these inspirational women, as well as having such a wealth of nature on our doorstep.
“Since the field station was established women have been integral to our teaching, research and conservation projects and this is something that we want to celebrate in the hope that it will inspire more women into science and conservation.
“International Women's Day and International Day of Women and Girls in Science are perfect opportunities for us to spotlight some of the many women who have driven the science, research and teaching at the Lighthouse Field Station for over 30 years and hopefully into the future.
“To learn more about the women who have come through the doors of the Lighthouse, the role this has played in their career paths and their advice for future scientists please visit our website https://www.abdn.ac.uk/lighthouse/staff/women-in-science/ , and stay tuned to Twitter @CromartyLH and Facebook @lighthousefieldstation for weekly updates.”
The University will hold a programme of online events for International Women’s Day from Monday 8 – Saturday 13 March including keynote speakers; Anna Whitehouse, Trailblazing, straight-talking best-selling author, presenter, campaigner, and co-founder of 'Mother Pukka', and Jeffery Tobias Halter, gender strategist, author and president of YWomen.