University of Maine Outlines Ways to Recruit More Women into Forestry Bioenergy Sector
(Bioenergy Insight) University of Maine researchers have devised a roadmap to recruit more women into the forestry industry, and particularly the bioenergy sector.
The team, led by Abigayl “Abby” Novak, a master’s student in forest resources at the BioEnergy Lab of the School of Forest Resources (SFR), found that attracting and retaining women in bioenergy and related fields – including those who are young or from historically underrepresented groups – can be done by offering interdisciplinary research opportunities in higher education, having employers provide ample support and outreach and promoting relatable success stories.
Their study, conducted by Novak, Ling Li, an assistant professor of sustainable bioenergy systems of SFR, and Katherine Glover, a Research Associate with the Climate Change Institute, was published in the academic journal Sustainability.
To determine the possible benefits of university interdisciplinary research, the group hosted a summer programme that involved students and faculty working on projects pertaining to biochar production and multiple applications, which was funded by the AY 21–22 UMS Research Reinvestment Fund (RRF) Grant Programs:Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Collaboratives. Eight undergraduate students, three graduate students and six faculty participated. Six out of the 11 students were women. One faculty participant was female.
The programme allowed young students to learn skills that helped them envision having a career in forestry and identify and use their strengths for their projects, researchers said. They also benefited from collaborative work and exposure to mentors — graduate students and faculty — with diverse backgrounds.
At the end of it, two undergraduates, one of them female, produced research findings they were able to present at several conferences, symposiums and workshops. Two female students shared plans to pursue graduate studies in nanoscience and sustainability, and one enrolled in a forestry sustainability-related graduate programme at the University of Maine. Several reports produced by programme participants were featured in the “2021 Wild Blueberry Grower Report” published by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. READ MORE
