To Antarctica and beyond: Expanding leadership horizons for women in STEMM

Kathryn Scott

Why would 78 women with science backgrounds choose to do a leadership program in Antarctica?

The world needs more diverse representation in leadership now and for the future in responding to complex challenges such as climate change. Antarctica is a fragile, vulnerable, and immense continent, and while isolated from the rest of the planet, it is not removed from human impacts and presence.

In February 2018, after 12 months preparation through the Homeward Bound program, Kathryn Scott took part in the largest expedition of women to Antarctica. The cohort spent three weeks ‘south’, honing their skills and sharing experiences to build leadership capacity as women in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine). In her lecture, Kathryn will share learnings and highlights from this incredible journey along with insights into the who, what and how behind the Homeward Bound project’s vision to develop a 1000-strong global network of women leaders within 10 years.

Biography: Kathryn currently works as a Program Coordinator in the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, and has worked on environmental and natural resource policy for the past two years since completing a Master of Environment (economics and policy major) in 2015. Kathryn began her career as a primary teacher, and then went on to undertake a range of non-teaching roles over her eight years working in the Department of Education.

Kathryn is a current member of the RGSQ, and has previously served as a member of the Society’s council (2016-17). She now focuses her voluntary commitments at community level as a co-coordinator of her local Boomerang Bags group.

Location: The Lavalla Centre, 58 Fernberg Road, Paddington