This week we sat down with Rebecca (Becky) Ong, Director of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Michigan Technological University, as she shares her journey from her childhood love of plants to her groundbreaking research converting them into biofuels.

As she walks us through the institutional barriers that women face in academia, Becky discusses her experiences as a partner, parent, and professor and how systemic actions such as equity raises and high childcare costs impact these identities. She shares valuable insights into how academia can better support and empower women in STEM, including her work with a group of majority men advocating for their women and gender diverse colleagues and thoughts on how access to STEM education and representation should start in early childhood.

Links:

Advocates and Allies Advisory Board (A3B) at MTU
Ong Research Laboratory Website

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The Fig Tree with Stephanie McFarlane

Propelling Women in PowerBy Wisconsin Energy InstituteJul 14, 2022