In 2016, the UN declared 11th February as International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The aim is to bring awareness to the important jobs that women have historically been discouraged from pursuing, or had their achievements go unacknowledged. By showcasing the different opportunities and role models, hopefully more young girls will feel inspired to become a scientist. The women of Humber Nature Partnership feel very passionate about showing their love for science and nature and what inspired them to pursue a career in the industry.
Alexandra Hajok: Alex is our manager at HNP. Alex is a geographer with a specialism in Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Always fascinated by place and questioning why things happen where they do, studying physical geography was a natural fit for Alex. Learning about GIS fuelled her curiosity with its raft of powerful tools to explore, interrogate and model the relationships between different physical features and events, based on location.
Alex works closely with the Board of Directors to plan HNP's strategic direction. Within that framework, she works with our 40+ members and other organisations to identify, plan and carry out work that is mutually beneficial for nature, people and the economy in our region.
Some of Alex's favourite women in science are: Marie Tharp, the geologist and oceanographic cartographer who discovered the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, leading to her being instrumental in proving the theory of plate tectonics. The mathematician Ada Lovelace, considered the world's first computer programmer. Catherine Regan, an early-career planetary scientist with research interests in surfaces and environments on Mars, she is a role model and an advocate for girls and women in STEM.
Charlotte Timmerhues: Charlotte is our administrator at HNP. Charlotte is a conservationist with a Bachelors from Liverpool John Moore's University and M(Res) from University of Chester in researching the social connectivity of captive Bactrian Camels. Charlotte first became fascinated in the natural world on a trip to Cleethorpes boating lake discovery centre, where she finally found out where the "squiggly" sand shapes came from. Day to day, you can find Charlotte creating our social media content, writing newsletters, keeping track of company finances and getting stuck in on any projects that need an extra hand.
Charlotte looks up to some of the amazing scientist that she has had the pleasure of learning so much from during her studies, such as plant reintroduction specialist Sarah Dyramply and behavioural ecologist Victoria Franks.
Leah Young: Leah is our conservation assistant at HNP. Leah is a marine biologist that has worked in cetacean (whale and dolphin) research, conservation and education and outreach since completing her degree at University of Plymouth. Leah knew she wanted to become a marine biologist from her interest in all things marine from a young age, having grown up around the beautiful South Wales coast. You can find Leah working on anything from creating a marine mammal strandings response for the Humber, producing various databases, to helping members with ecological queries.
Leah loves following the work of marine biologist and policy expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and marine biologist and blue whale expert Asha De Vos. Leah is lucky to have worked with countless inspiring female scientists during her career so far.
