From right: Ms Humairah Bassa, Ms Paulene Govender, Dr Karin Pruessner, Dr Yaseera Ismail, Professor Aletta Prinsloo, Ms Sharmini Pillay, Ms Nokwanda Ngema, Ms Sharlene Naicker, Ms Priyanka Singh and Ms Samah Abuali.Physics Department holds Women’s Month Lunch
The Physics Department at UKZN held a Women’s Month lunch to encourage and stimulate an interest in studying Physics, to network and talk about some of the challenges faced by women in the discipline.
The lunch, in celebration of the initiative by Women in Physics in South Africa (WiPiSA) and the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARCHI) held by Professor Francesco Petruccione, brought together 13 women - staff and students - from the Department.
Chairperson of WiPiSA, Professor Aletta Prinsloo, was the guest speaker and gave an informative and interesting talk providing essential advice for women physicists.
Prinsloo emphasised that it was important to live in the present, make use of the opportunities provided as well as to take credit for achievements.
She said building a career involved women having to make tough decisions regarding balance between their jobs and their families.
* WiPiSA forms part of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) which aims to encourage and stimulate an interest in women studying physics, support them in work in physics-related careers and assist them to overcome obstacles and barriers in their studies and in the workplace.
Yaseera Ismail