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PhD Student receives L'Or茅al/UNESCO Women in Science Award

14 December 2022

Awa Bousso Dram茅, a third-year researcher, received the award for her work on coastal systems in West Africa alongside her passion for promoting science and gender equality.

PhD Student receives L'Or茅al/UNESCO Women in Science Award

聽aims to help women scientists gain equal access to funding, publication and speaking opportunities.

Through an emphasis on equal recognition of scientific excellence, they hope to inspire younger generations of women to pursue science as a career.

Awa was chosen from over 400 applications by an expert panel of scientists and academics for her work looking at geospatial technology and artificial intelligence for coastal monitoring in West Africa.

She hopes to improve the management of floods, erosion and fisheries management in the Senegal Estuary and West Africa to help the adaptability of communities living in those areas.

Awa said, 鈥淲inning this award is a huge honour and a recognition of scientific excellence despite the intersectional discrimination I鈥檝e experienced.

鈥淏eing a woman in science includes supporting young girls to embrace STEM fields, particularly male-dominated ones like geomorphology.

鈥淭o achieve this, we need to support and empower them more and recognise and reward their achievements.

鈥淭hings are changing with an emerging generation of African women scientists bringing innovation and inclusivity to their research, changing the narrative and contributing to the continent鈥檚 development.鈥

Awa also been nominated Secretary and Diaspora Deputy of the governing council of Women in GMES, a continental programme of the聽聽which aims to increase women鈥檚 participation in (geo)spatial sciences in Africa.

She splits her academic research between the Department and the聽聽(affiliated with the Senegalese Ministry of Environment) and is supervised by聽Professor Helene Burningham聽and聽聽programme which deals with coastal management from Mauritania and Benin.