Fourth Meeting, Arusha 2011

KristaMcGuire_ATBC2011by Dr Krista McGuire

At the recent meeting of the ATBC in Tanzania, the Gender Committee organized a panel discussion to highlight field work activities of women with research programs in Africa. The motivation for this discussion was the recognition that women in tropical biology face unique challenges associated with the rigors of tropical travel and field work, often coupled with complex cultural norms about female roles and behaviors.

Women from Rwanda, Burundi, Nigeria, and the United States spoke about the challenges they’ve faced in the field and gave advice to other women on how to overcome obstacles related to gender and culture, balancing family life, and leading all-male research teams.

African_women_panel_Arusha2011

ATBC women’s panel discussion : Dr. Margaret Kinnaird (Mpala Research Centre, Kenya), Dr. Anastasie Gasogo (University of Burundi), Dr. Nicole Gross-Camp (University of East Anglia), Aisha Nyiramana (National University of Rwanda), and Edu Effiom (Lund University, Sweden & Nigeria) (© Krista McGuire)