At NSU’s Oceanographic Center, women are taking over and leaving their mark in the field of marine sciences.
With a student body of 250, female students make up 76 percent of enrollment in all four of the school’s master’s degrees and doctoral programs.
OC Director of Academic Support and Administration Melissa Dore said that this number has been steady for some time.
“Even since last year, it has been pretty much a women’s section at the OC,” said Dore. “I think marine biology itself is becoming much more women friendly. I have seen a big change in women entering the science field since I have been in the field.”
Compared to other fields of science and mathematics, the number of female students around the country has either stayed consistent or has slowly progressed throughout the last couple of years.
Katie Bowen, second-year masters student in marine biology said that it’s great to see so many women going into the science fields.
“To me, it’s like you are getting the recognition for doing just as good and you are just as capable as the guys, especially in a male-dominated field,” said Bowen.
Melissa Bafto, first-year master’s student in marine environmental science agreed.
“I think it’s really encouraging to see more women in science fields because we do out-reach with the community and it good for younger girls to know that they can become female scientists,” Bafto said.
According to Forbes, the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics have always had a problem with female enrollment. Men tend to dominate the technological industry and the U.S. Department of
Commerce reports that only one in seven engineers are women.
Today, women hold only 27 percent of all computer science jobs, and less than 20 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in computer science go to women, even though female graduates hold 60 percent of all bachelor’s degrees.
Dore said that unlike computer science and engineering, biology has to do with exploring the environment and looking for logical reactions within nature and that may be one of the reasons women have become more attracted to the field.
“One of the big issues in science is getting women comfortable in mathematics. Math is one of those things that you either love or learn to deal with, but with biology, specifically marine biology, there is a curiosity factor that tends to attract students,” said Dore.
Another reason students, in general, may be attracted to studying the field of marine sciences also has to do with the facilities and culture at the OC.
Dore said that there is a family structure at the OC where everyone knows each other. This allows student to work one-on-one with their professors and peers.
“I think that it is much more a women’s oriented group. It is not about the competition, like in other marine programs. Here, it is about working together to figure something out and nurturing the students as they continue into their careers,” said Dore.
Now, because of the dual degree programs available to marine biology majors, which saves a student’s spot in the graduate school as long as the student maintains a GPA requirement, NSU has become the biggest supplier of graduate students entering the OC.
Bowen said that one of the reasons why she chose to attend the OC is because it allows her the opportunity to work with faculty members who are the best in the field.
“We have the new research facility with all the new labs and the faculty are highly regarded in what they do in their professions,” said Bowen.
The OC has become the number one graduate school for a marine biology master’s degree in the country and alumni are working in the marine sciences field all around the world.
Dore said, “The OC is a unique spot. I have been here and watched it grow. It is really an amazing place and as a graduate program, what you put into it is what you get out of it.
