Six talented women climate scientists from developing countries awarded the 2022 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award

By India Education Diary Bureau Admin On Feb 12, 2022

Six researchers have been awarded the 2022 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award for Early-Career Women Scientists in the Developing World for their contributions to research that is helping tackle climate change and advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including: SDG13 (Climate Action), SDG14 (Life Below Water) and SDG15 (Life on Land).

The winners’ research explores a wide range of environmental impacts and their potential solutions: from turning waste into man-made soil; transforming plastic pollution into viable products for community trade; harnessing the power of microbes to improve carbon storage and soil quality; and using the right types of plants with roots to help prevent soil erosion and encourage soil ‘plasticity’.

The prize also acknowledges the scientists’ commitment to leadership, mentoring and engagement within their communities, including the use of innovative technologies in their research.

What our 2022 winners are doing is absolutely outstanding. Climate change is the most pressing challenge of our time, and these women are finding innovative and effective ways to address it in their local contexts. We hope this award is the first of many for them.

Jennifer ThomsonPresident of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)

This year’s winners are:

Myriam Mujawamariya of the University of Rwanda; in Biological Systems and Organisms.
Abeer Ahmed Qaed Ahmed of Al-Saeed University, Yemen; in Biological Systems and Organisms.
Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; in Biological Systems and Organisms.
Heyddy Calderon of the Instituto de Geología y Geofísica, Nicaragua; in Engineering Sciences
Ashani Ssavinda Ranathunga of University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka; in Engineering Sciences.
Flor de Mayo Gonzalez Miranda of San Carlos University, Guatemala; in Engineering Sciences.

The winners will participate in the online panel “Minority and Women in STEMM Awards,” organized on 19 February as part of the AAAS Annual Meeting.

This year’s award ceremony will take place on March 24, both virtually and in-person as part of the International Conference on Gender Action and Climate Change in Istanbul, Turkey at Istanbul Aydin University (IAU) on March 24, 2022.

We have reshaped our award this year to respond to the key challenges of our time, such as climate change, and supporting the progress being made around the UN SDGs. We know that a quarter of all women are engaged in agriculture, which makes them more vulnerable to both climate change and resource scarcity. We want to reflect the critical role that women can play in successfully addressing climate shifts.

Ylann SchemmDirector of the Elsevier Foundation

First awarded in 2013, the award is given in partnership by the OWSD and Elsevier Foundation. OWSD chairs a panel of distinguished scientists to select the winners, and the Foundation awards a cash prize for each winner of USD $5,000, as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to attend a prominent scientific gathering to provide them with vital networking opportunities.

Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD)
OWSD was founded in 1987 and is the first international forum to unite eminent women scientists from the developing and developed worlds with the objective of strengthening their role in the development process and promoting their representation in scientific and technological leadership. OWSD provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout the developing world at different stages in their careers. OWSD is hosted by The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS), a UNESCO Programme based in Trieste, Italy.