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- Company sponsors Antarctica expedition where 79 female scientists from 35 countries – including 29 Australians – will observe impact of climate change first-hand.
ACCIONA is today announcing its support for Homeward Bound in Australia at an event in Brisbane.
The Homeward Bound program aims to create a global network of 1,000 female Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) professionals over 10 years – talented individuals who will proactively lead, influence and contribute to policy and decision-making as it shapes the future of our planet, and work together on projects in different fields to give visibility to women in science.
The company will sponsor Homeward Bound’s upcoming third annual expedition to the Antarctic, in which 79 female scientists from 35 countries will bring their expertise in a wide range of disciplines to advance climate change mitigation through their research.
This year’s expedition will feature 29 female Australian scientists, including Dr Matilda Mackay-Sim, who said: “I am very excited to be a part of this fantastic program, and cannot wait for the expedition to start. Homeward Bound offers me an invaluable opportunity to do my part in the fight against climate change, which I would not have otherwise in my work as a doctor. I am very much looking forward to meeting like-minded female scientists from a range of backgrounds, who I will be able to learn from and collaborate with in the future”.
The participants are currently in the final stages of a one-year training and research program to prepare for the trip. They will depart from Ushuaia in Argentina on 31 December and return on 19 January next year. During the trip the team will visit several research stations to gather information on the impact of climate change on the continent.
Accompanying the scientists on the expedition will be Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and a member of ACCIONA’s Board of Directors. “Homeward Bound has taken on a courageous and valuable mission: to highlight women’s leadership in the global conversation on climate change mitigation. I identify with the program as it pursues goals that I share," she said. For more from Ms Figueres, click here.
Fernando Fajardo, Managing Director for ACCIONA Infrastructure Australia, New Zealand & South East Asia, said: “The contribution of female scientists to our collective achievements is often overlooked, so we are proud to support these high-achieving women in their work on one of the biggest challenges of our time.”
Looking to the future, participants for the fourth Homeward Bound expedition have already been selected. Over the next few months, 94 scientists from different disciplines – including 38 Australians – will prepare for their journey to Antarctica at the end of 2019.
For more information, contact:
JULIAN ELLIOTT
0410 631 412