Remarks by U.S. Ambassador to India Nancy J Powell at Women in Science Workshop

The Habitat Center, New Delhi | December 10, 2012

(As Prepared for Delivery)

Thank you.  I’m delighted to be here with you this morning to welcome you to our fourth consecutive “Women in Science” workshop.  I’d like to give a very warm welcome to, DST Secretary Dr. Ramasami, and distinguished scientists from all over India.  I am also very pleased to see so many young women participants here.  Today’s workshop is not only about women and science.  It is also about education and getting students interested in studying the many fields of science.  It is you students here today who will lead the way in the future of science in India and the world.

I am happy to share that our previous three workshops on women in science made a real difference.  Let me give you a few examples:

1) The United States and India prioritized “Women in Science” as an area for bilateral engagement at the U.S.-India Joint Commission Meeting on Science & Technology in June, and the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue in June 2012. 

2) Today both governments will share U.S. and India best practices to enable, promote, and retain women in science. They will also deliberate on joint programs to promote mentoring and networking opportunities for women in science. 

3) Finally, science policymakers in both our governments are represented at this workshop and have been creating new initiatives to promote the role of women in science in the United States and India.

I would like to thank DST Advisor Dr. Vinita Sharma, and my colleague Blair Hall for their continuing effort to promote U.S.-India women in science engagement. 

We believe our workshop today can identify challenges, highlight best practices for enabling women in science that already exist in the U.S. and India, and determine potential solutions to address the difficulties women encounter in the science field.  These range from the education and empowerment of women to promoting retention and development of women scientists, engineers, and academic and industry leaders.

But first let me ask, “Why are we doing this? Why focus on increasing the number of women in science professions?” I believe the importance of science and science education in today’s world cannot be overstated.  Scientific innovation offers us a chance to achieve prosperity. It has offered us benefits that have improved our health and our lives. What’s more, it offers us our best chance of addressing the myriad global challenges that confront us.  Science offers a unique opportunity to find solutions - from the eradication of poverty to improved health and life expectancy, from ending hunger to the conservation of our natural resources, and from the exploration of our universe to finding better communication across cultures and between the people of the world. 

The world’s difficult challenges can be solved.  But this will only happen when our best people — whatever background, whatever gender – work together with all their energy and talents focused on the key issues.  We need to equip all our scientists and innovators with the best education and the best training that is available.

As Secretary Clinton said, “Solving these problems, even managing them, takes all of our efforts.  I am convinced we cannot succeed if humanity is working at half its strength.” 

President Obama has concurred, saying, “We will not sow the seeds for a brighter future or reap the benefits of the change we need without the full and active participation of women around the world.”

Both India and the U.S. agree on the importance of creating opportunities to empower women.  Women will play a vital role in the future of both our countries.  We must ensure their increased participation in science and technology areas.  Both our countries are working to promote women in science & technology education and careers.  Yet there are several challenges our countries need to address. 

Let me share with you findings of some U.S. studies on women in science issues.  According to a study called “Stemming the Tide: Why Women Leave Engineering” by the Center for the Study of the Workplace at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, women comprise more than 20% of engineering school graduates, yet only 11% of practicing engineers are women, despite decades of academic, federal, and employer interventions to address this gender gap.  This study finds workplace climate as a strong factor in women’s decisions to leave engineering jobs or to not enter engineering after college.

A study by the U.S. Department of Commerce reveals that in the U.S. the percentage of females working in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) -- lags far behind than that of the overall female-to-male workplace ratio.  There are many possible factors contributing to the discrepancy of women and men in STEM jobs, including: lack of female role models, gender stereotyping, and less family-friendly flexibility in the STEM fields.  Regardless of the causes, the findings of this report provide evidence of a need to encourage and support women in STEM.

The U.S. and India are both world leaders in innovation, and in science and technology.  We have demonstrated time and time again our ability to seize opportunities and change lives as we strive for a better world.  The presence here today of so many great minds grants us a rare opportunity to harness our joint ingenuity. 

Today we also celebrate the success stories of women in science achievers like National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) Astronaut Sunita Williams.  Sunita’s roots on her father’s side go back to Gujarat in India. 

Today, Sunita is the first female astronaut to hold three records of longest spaceflight, total time spent on spacewalks, longest stretch spent in space.  She has two more records under her belt: she took over command of the International Space Station, becoming the second woman in history to do so.  She’s completed the first-ever space triathlon, running, biking and swimming in Southern California’s Nautica Malibu Triathlon, albeit from 240 miles away in the International Space Station.  Sunita is a remarkable achiever known in both our countries. 

And it is a matter of great pride for us to have such leading women scientists in cutting-edge science & technology areas which never had women in earlier times.

I would like to conclude by saying there is a lot of potential for good things to happen when people from the U.S. and India work together towards a common goal.

I am excited to see such an excellent line-up of speakers in the workshop.  I expect there will be some very candid and productive discussions today, and I look forward to the outcome of today’s discussions, and most importantly to your proposals on how we move forward to create opportunities for women to achieve their full potential in science.

Thank you.