Photo: Dr. Hadee Thompson-Morrison
A Canterbury researcher hopes to inspire more women to pursue science after being awarded the Zonta Science Award.
The Zonta Science Award was established to further the status of women in scientific fields. The award is for an emerging woman scientist, rather than a woman established in the field.
This year's winner, soil scientist Dr Hadee Thompson-Morrison, told Morning Report her research focuses on trace elements, which are in the environment in really small quantities.
They may be small, but these elements can have a big impact on people and the environment.
Trace elements include copper, lead, zinc and arsenic, and can be essential or non-essential.
"The work that I'm doing at the moment is looking at how we can convince plants to take up more essential nutrients, so that they have better nutrition and that will lead to better human health outcomes."
The Zonta Award was aimed at recognising and supporting women in science, which is something Thompson-Morris believed was hugely important.
"Women are underrepresented in STEM the world over, not just in New Zealand. I think one if the key reasons for that is that there are a lot of barriers for women entering science.
"So to have that opportunity to encourage women into science and to recognise work is just so important."
Thompson-Morrison said she was seeing more women coming through in the sciences, but there was still a long way to go.
