I am committed to promoting women in science as throughout school, I always felt the absence of female scientist role models. As a result, I have founded various STEMinist initiatives to create awareness and promote girls in science whether by starting a Middle School science girls club, doing fun science experiments for girls at government schools, through to designing STEMinist tote bags, T shirts and hoodies and setting up a website to fund scholarships for female undergraduate / post graduate education with Indian Women Science Association (IWSA) and summer women post graduate programs at Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR).
I have designed and sold 400 “STEMinist ” tote bags in the UK/India (including to BBC TV Presenter, UK Princes Trust, OBE awardee and in India, to National Centre for Biological Sciences) to raise awareness.
With the proceeds of the tote bag sales, I have donated USD 2,390 to IWSA to fund for 4 meritorious female students for undergraduate/postgraduate education each for the amount of USD 298 with an ongoing annual funding commitment. Along with USD 1,195 for general purposes by IWSA.
I have launched a shop, www.steminists.shop.
I have created the STEMinist Middle School Club (Grades 5-7) with the focus on ensuring less girls drop science in Grade 9 by making science appealing through demonstrating advance level experiments, creating a support system, inviting eminent women scientists’ speakers, taking them on excursions to famous science institutions and study workshops. Recently, we introduced them to the neutralisation reaction and titration to teach them how scientists quantify their data. Recruited 30% Middle School girls.
I have donated tote bags to girls including girl science toppers at 3 government schools. To create awareness I donated tote bags to the Executive Committee of IWSA, TIFR and the Department of Atomic Energy. I have donated T-shirts from my shop to all of the Grade 9 students at a government school, the Executive Committee of IWSA and the TIFR Vigyan Vidushi participants.
With my earnings from “Zazzystudies” of USD 1,045, I have funded the science apparatus and two years chemicals / consumables required to create a new science laboratory at Gandhi Ashram School that has impacted 150 female students and enabled them to hold their first ever science fair, “SciPi”.
Given my love of reading, I have curated and donated 4 science libraries with books promoting women in science to IWSA, 2 government schools and my own Middle school with the aim of girls being encouraged to do science by reading my favourite books.
