Dr. Andressa Trentin

As a young researcher from South America, I realized my inclination to a scientific career at a very young age. I was born and raised on a farm in the south of Brazil and grew up helping my parents in their daily occupations in the field, however, my mother inspired me to go further. She did not have the opportunity to graduate because her father did not allow her to do so. Later on, the spouse and mother roles allied to financial issues hurdled her dream of becoming a math teacher. Following her suggestion, I managed to work during the day and study at night to be able to pay for my night studies in Chemistry. Later I moved to Araraquara, the countryside of São Paulo State, where I obtained my MSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry at the São Paulo State University.

 

We pay a high price for inequality in developing countries. The difficulties start early at the public school which makes us much less competitive to join good universities. Also, we do not have access to English classes, resulting in a significant disparity. It was a slow process to absorb, during my PhD, the enormous load of knowledge that my education lacked. With several efforts, I got the best Brazilian scholarship for my PhD, thus having the opportunity to perform an internship in Belgium and consequently receiving a joint PhD degree in Chemistry and Engineering Sciences.

 

The research opportunities and quality of life in Europe fascinated me in many aspects. I could expand my network during my internship which led me to join the Young Federation of Corrosion (YEFC) as an active board member. At this stage, I already could draw my career in science developing my own research ideas and mastering my scientific skills. Nonetheless, many of my female peers in my home country still do not have similar opportunities due to the lack of knowledge and encouragement to join science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

 

Besides moral and sexual harassment in professional environments, a woman’s career can be affected by maternity leaves, lack of financial resources and support networks. Not to mention the fewer opportunities, less recognition, and limited access to leadership roles leading to reduced access to resources and career progression of female scientists. For all these reasons and my own experience, I am strongly convinced to support gender equality. My voluntary work, such as the “Women in Corrosion” initiative, supported by the European Federation of Corrosion (EFC) and YEFC team helps scientists from several countries to express their excellence, persistence, dedication, curiosity and passion for corrosion science. I also thank my employer (VTT, Finland) for supporting such initiatives and contributing to gender equality.

 

May the Women in Science Week 2024 be the first step towards women's empowerment and gender equality in more inclusive professional environments.