Girls in STEM

Translation: Sindri Snær Jónsson
The acronym STEM in English stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. It is used to refer to the science and tech industry.The proportion of women in these fields is declining, and that is why I thought it would be good to speak to four women, one from each area, about their experiences in their studies or jobs.

Helga Kristín Torfadóttir - S

Photo: Helga Kristín Torfadóttir

What are you studying?

I am doing my PhD in volcanology and geology at the University of Iceland. When I was a kid, I loved dinosaurs and everything about nature, but I did not really realize that this could be a field of work that I could combine with my hobbies. Then I studied at Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík, where I discovered geology for the first time, and then it all clicked. After high school, I took a year off from traditional education and learned to be a guide and pursued higher education in that field because I knew that I did not want to end spending my life only doing geology and wanted to get a license for being a guide before the next phase in my life took over. 

What do you enjoy most about all of this?

Doctorate degrees involve a lot of researching, collecting samples and data, and assessing all of this to see if it can help paint a full picture. I always enjoy discovering something new. I might have an idea about what is going on, but it is always fun when the data confirms the hypothesis. To gain confidence in a theory that you have and to prove it is a fantastic feeling. 

What is the hard thing about your studies?

Now I am doing my PhD, which really is completely different from BA or Masters studies. It is not as strict now, so I have to take the initiative to get things going. I am very organized, and I need a routine, but while getting your doctorate degree, you choose when you work, and it can often be very hard if you break your routine. 

Have you run into any challenges/How is the community?

The vibes were good when I did my BA, and our group was close and got along well. However, as we get further into our studies, people start dropping out, especially during my PhD. There are not many people with me, and I am alone in my speciality. On top of this, the nature of the degree involves much independent work, which can be isolating. But I am the Doctoral Student Representative in the geology department, and now I am trying to do something to get all of the PhD students together. 

What’s next for you?

I will keep doing what I'm doing with my research and finish my doctorate. I also do odd jobs here and there, like doing tours across the country and on glaciers, or shooting big documentaries, like, for example, for BBC Earth and National Geographic. My biggest side-gig at this moment is my Instagram, @geology_with_helga. There I share fun facts about geology along with my adventures.

Lilja Ýr Guðmundsdóttir- T

Photo: Lilja Ýr Guðmundsdóttir

What are you studying/working as?

I studied software engineering at Reykjavík University. Now I work for Marel and am doing a lot of programming and designing there, sort of on the side. I have always been interested in programming and designing technical stuff. I chose software engineering because there was so much emphasis on programming, but also a mix of other things, like management and customer relations. 

What do you enjoy the most about all of this?

The most fun thing about programming is when the program works, and it brings up a sort of feeling of joy. Especially when you have been trying to resolve some error for hours, and then you suddenly get the program to work as it should, I get embarrassingly excited about that. This is something that keeps me going, and I have heard that many others agree with me on this. 

What’s the hardest thing about your studies?

The hardest thing is all the boys. I am the only female programmer in my department right now, and it can get very tiring. There are certain things we just don't have in common, mainly because they are all also older than I am. It helps, though, that there are women outside of my department whom I have seen from time to time. It is good to have people to whom I can relate, whom I can talk to, and who will stand by me. 

Have you run into any challenges/how is the community?

Never when I was young, but when I started University, I started feeling that people did not want to believe me or listen to me, but because I have this background and know that I can do this, I have found the strength to tell people: "No, I can do this."

What’s next for you?

It is over now, but recently I taught a programming course for young women that had never done programming before. The goal of the course was to encourage women to try out programming in a fun way. I really enjoyed it and hope that I can continue to do something similar in the future

Herdís Hanna Yngvadóttir - E

Photo: Herdís Hanna Yngvadóttir

What do you study/work as?

I am finishing my degree in industrial engineering here at UI. The year I started, they had just built the department from scratch. It used to be very similar to mechanical and electrical engineering, but now there is much more emphasis on elements such as management. This is a perfectly professional education too, a bit like studying engineering or business. 

What do you enjoy the most about all of this?

The people who study with me are great. We are not very many, but there are a lot of group projects in the department, so we have gotten along well. It is also very liberal when it comes to choosing courses. I have done a good job of puzzling together my elective and extra courses during my BA studies, so I am very specialized in the fields I find the most interesting. 

What is the hardest thing?

The first year went smoothly, but then we were all still studying sort of the same things that I learned in high school. But I really hit a wall during my second year and especially during my third year when we were asked to utilize what we had learned so far. Then it is not enough to know the content through and through or to understand it. Engineering revolves around solving problems, and now at the end of our studies, we often get projects into our hands that have no particular solution - we have to create them. It took me a little time to get used to it, but I had to study everything again. 

Have you run into any challenges during your career?

I was the University's Student Council representative in my second year, but I took that responsibility as soon as covid hit. Back then, I felt that we had to improve student/teacher relations at the University. We tried to express the needs of the students, but we often had the door closed in our faces. That was hard. When it comes to my department, I mostly have only good things to say. As I said before, our group of students is close and doing well. On top of that, industrial engineering is the only engineering field with equal numbers of men and women. The older male teachers still have a lot to learn, I feel. 

What is next for you?

I am graduating this spring, and last winter, I applied for a master's program in another country. I would like to continue studying industrial engineering, so if I get the answers I am hoping for, that is what is next for me.

Svala Sverrisdóttir - M

Photo: Svala Sverrisdóttir

What do you study/work as?

I am studying mathematics with an emphasis on arithmetic, which is essentially just pure mathematics focusing on practical mathematics. Now I am putting a lot of focus on algebra and lichenology. This semester I am doing an exchange at UC Berkeley. 

What do you enjoy the most about all of this?

The most fun thing about my education is probably the people, being able to meet people that have the same interests as me in our field. It is good to be able to talk about the material, not just to finish the assignments but also out of interest. I also always enjoy it when I finally understand something I have had trouble with. That's when I understand better why I take all of this on because the workload is certainly enough for this degree. 

What is the hardest thing?

Sometimes you put so much pressure on yourself to understand some difficult problem or concept and it doesn’t click. I don’t enjoy that very much. I have also gotten a little bit of impostor syndrome in my studies. You always feel like you know the least out of everyone around you, but then when you talk to other people, you realize everyone is in the same situation. 

Have you run into any challenges during your career?

The culture in the department can often be very nice, but it can also be bad. For instance, I have heard that girls do not belong in maths. Sometimes I talk to people who study with me about the assignments or exams, and I feel that no one is taking me seriously. One time I had an idea for a solution to a problem that no one listened to, but I decided to turn it in either way. Then one day, the teacher complimented my solution specially. I also have a few stories about teachers not believing that I did the assignments by myself and even thinking that I got the solution from the internet. 

What is next for you?

I applied for postgraduate studies at a few places last winter, and I have been receiving answers. I got a great response from Berkeley, which I am very excited about, and it looks like I will stay here for the next five years while I finish my doctorate in mathematics.