To kick off the launch of EDIAqua and celebrate International Women’s Day on Tuesday, 8th March 2022, EDIAqua will be hosting a film screening of Beneath the Tide (2015). This short film, directed by Greek filmmaker Kat Zoula, follows several women involved in the seaweed aquaculture industry in Paje, Tanzania. On the island of Zanzibar the farming of red seaweeds Eucheuma and Kappaphycus provides jobs to almost 30 000 people, most of them being women. The industry has been women-led in many aspects, including research, community outreach and value-addition. The film will be followed by a discussion with Dr Flower Msuya, hearing how the industry has evolved since then, the pivotal role of women, and the future challenges.
We will also be welcoming and hearing from some of the new MSc students at the IoA. In this year’s MSc programme we gained 5 fully-funded Women in STEM scholarships from the British Council primarily targeted at women from South East Asia. As role models of the diversity of women in aquaculture, we hope to give the students a platform to share their backgrounds and future goals in aquaculture. More information on the Women in STEM scholarships can be found here (applications closing soon for the 2022 intake).
Location: Pathfoot Lecture Theatre + online
Time: 16:00 – 18:00 GMT
For more information please email ediaqua@stir.ac.uk. Click here to reserve a space.
Regarding more International Women’s Day aquaculture-related events, Women in Scottish Aquaculture (WiSA) will be hosting a celebratory International Women’s Day event in Edinburgh to mark 3 years of WiSA.
WiSA is an initiative from SAIC, existing to introduce more women into aquaculture, and support those already working in the sector. They aim to raise awareness of the opportunities for women to work in the aquaculture industry; to provide a network for women to develop their careers within the industry; and to support industry in developing the potential of women within the workplace at all levels. They annually host a Women Returners Programme and Mentoring Programme (watch this space for 2022 dates). The celebration will take place on 8th March 2022 from 13:00 to 16:00 at the MacDonald Holyrood Hotel. Join for a light lunch, talks and opportunities to mingle with fellow professionals from the WiSA network. All are invited to come along, however places are limited. Book your place here. More information (including how to join the network) and updates from WiSA can be found on their website.