Today, February 11th, marks the ninth celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by the scientific community. This event serves two key purposes: highlighting potential scientific career paths for schoolgirls and female students, while also expressing support and gratitude for women who have already dedicated themselves to advancing science through their work.
The Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education will commemorate this day with a public discussion at the "Russia" exhibition-forum in the "Decade of Science and Technology" pavilion (VDNH, Moscow).
At our institute, we've established a tradition of celebrating this day by interviewing our female scientists. Today, we're featuring Alena Noskovich, a researcher at the Zoobenthos Laboratory. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology and graduated with honors from her master's program in Ecology and Environmental Management at Murmansk State Technical University (now Murmansk Arctic University). She has been working at MMBI RAS since 2017 and actively participates in scientific conferences. Last year, she won first prize at the 41st Young Scientists Conference with her presentation "Population Characteristics of the Bivalve Mollusk Macoma calcarea (Gmelin, 1791) in Svalbard Fjords with Different Hydrological Regimes."
- What's your area of specialization?
- My research primarily focuses on studying how variability in environmental conditions affects benthic invertebrate populations."
- What are you currently researching?
- Currently, I'm investigating the distribution patterns, biology, and ecology of the bivalve mollusk Macoma calcarea in different areas of the Barents Sea.
- What inspired you to pursue science?
- It all began when I entered university and started practical training at the Zoobenthos Laboratory, where I discovered this fascinating world. The work was completely unlike anything else. After graduation, I decided to continue advancing in science, where many unanswered questions remain. Finding solutions requires tremendous effort – not just skills and knowledge, but also diligence, perseverance, punctuality, and certainly stress tolerance. Going through this challenging path, I've seen collected data transform into scientific papers. The patterns I identify can be presented at conferences and symposiums where I exchange experiences with colleagues.
- Which work stage do you enjoy most?
- I particularly enjoy analyzing processed material and identifying patterns – or their absence.
- What advice would you give girls considering science?
- To girls wanting to pursue science, I'd advise patience and self-belief. The path won't be easy - obtaining results requires completing all stages from data collection and processing to analysis and ultimately paper writing. You'll need to accept that your results will face both praise and criticism, and may even be disproven - this is normal for a true scientist. But if you stay the course and pursue your goals despite challenges, you'll find true happiness doing what you love.
We are happy to join these wishes! #WomenInScience