Women Are Science
Written by Olivia Throssell
“I want to make sure we use all our talent, not just 25 percent.” — Mae Jemison, first African American woman to enter space
University of Hawaii at Hilo (UH Hilo) junior Guinevere Davenport intends to close the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers. In the last 30 years, this gap has closed only 19 percent. Currently, just 26 percent of the science field is women (Del Giudice).
A Cellular and Molecular Biology major and Chemistry minor, Davenport knew she wanted to get into the science field since intermediate school; however, whether she wanted a career on the medical or engineering side remained a question for quite some time. Today, grand opportunities she has come across thus far in her academic career have narrowed her career path.
One such opportunity was interning with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and assisting with the administration’s infrared telescope in the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center. “This was an amazing experience,” the junior explained, “but it made me realize that engineering is not for me. I was the right hand gal to the engineers and many of the projects we focused on revolved around the camera lens.” She participated in tasks such as lens cleaning and photo development; much of her internship relied on computer coding, something Davenport did not previously know about and found to be a great catalyst for a learning experience.
Guinevere Davenport with her puppy Gloria teaching children at Kahakai Elm school about the danger of bullying. Photo courtesy of Guinevere Davenport.
After realizing that engineering was not her career path, Davenport found a Sleep Center Hawaii job under the care of Dr. Gabrielle Barthlen, M.D. Having spoken with the junior and realized her eagerness, Barthlen hired her as a polysomnographic technologist, or sleep study technologist. Davenport monitors patients’ brain activity as they sleep, checking for evidence of neurological disorders.
This amazing opportunity has prompted Davenport to become EEG (electroencephalogram) certified, a certification which will allow her to perform tests on patients. Such tests detect abnormalities related to the electrical activity of the brain. At this point in time, Davenport spends most of her shifts at night where she is required to stay up for 12 hours monitoring patients.
Davenport believes that she got this job because is willing to learn beyond her classroom environment. She enjoys learning how chemistry works in the body and feels this is important if she intends to be a doctor eventually. “Doctors tend to miss the big picture and the connection the body has with its chemical components. My Biology and Chemistry classes are helping me notice that big picture and draw connections others may not have seen. We talk about chemistry in the biological terms.”
Davenport also feels that taking Stan Nakanishi’s Biology 466: Genetics course has really helped her see the connection between genetics and neurological disorders. On top of school and her job, Davenport is also involved in mentoring the underwater robotics team and helping with competitions at Hilo Intermediate School as well as competing in the Miss Hawaii beauty pageants. Davenport’s advice for college students is: “don’t be afraid to look outside the box and no one is going to do the work for you. Remember, the end goal is worth it. Uh Hilo provides so many opportunities that students need to take but also keep an open mind to the world around.”
Photo of Guinevere Davenport warming up with the children before the Volcano Rain Forest Run. Photo Courtesy of the Volcano Rainforest Run.
For more information on the internship with NASA, please contact the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center.
Del Giudice, Marguerite. "Why It's Crucial to Get More Women Into Science." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 8 Nov. 2014. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
