Who do you imagine when you think of an engineer, scientist, or mathematician? If you’d been asked that forty years ago, it’s pretty likely that you wouldn’t have pictured a woman. Times (and stereotypes) are changing, but still women make up just 16% of Australians qualified in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), according to the Office of the Chief Scientist.

Despite this, Australian women around the country are making enormous achievements in STEM every day, and here at Science Week’s national office, we are LOVING the National Science Week events celebrating women in STEM.

Whether you’re a young woman interested in making your own mark in the world of STEM, or a champion of change looking to support diversity and balance in the skills of the future, get down to one of the many National Science Week events celebrating the achievements, challenges and dreams of women in STEM.

Head to the National Science Week Events list and use the search term “women” or “girls” to explore events in your local area. There have been a number of events already run, such as the Innovators’ Tea Party in Perth for senior school students to network with game-changing women, and a panel session with environmental change-makers in Women Changing the World as part of the desertSMART Ecofair in Alice Springs.

Here is a selection of events still to come across the country in the coming week:

• Attend a lunchtime panel discussion with women staff and post graduate students at Women in Chemistry in Parkville, VIC. Monday 13 August
• Join students from Rosetta Primary School as they share their own projects and artworks inspired by their research into achievements and discoveries of The Wonderful Women in Science in Hobart, TAS. Wednesday 15 August
• Each year, the Australian Institute of Physics funds a national tour by an eminent female physicist. This year’s lecturer is Dr Ceri Brenner, an experimental physicist from the UK. Science As Art: Inspiring Illumination, Creative Curiosity in Darling Heights, QLD.Wednesday 15 August and Ballarat, VIC Sunday 19 August
• Be introduced to a diverse range of earth sciences at a one day workshop at ANU Research School of Earth Sciences, aimed at Year 10 girls in Girls into Earth and Marine Sciences (GEMS) in Acton, ACT. Wednesday 15 August
• Explore how women have shaped our world through science and engineering at Female Game Changers of STEM in Melbourne, VIC. Thursday 16 August
• Bust the ‘scientist’ stereotype and get a glimpse into the realities, challenges and benefits of being a scientist today in Conversations with Women of Waite in Adelaide, SA. Thursday 16 August
• Inspiration, networking and breakfast with renowned astronomer Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker at the Inspiring Women in Science Breakfast in Geraldton, WA. Friday 17 August
• Hear about the experiences of women in science through six generations of scientists at Genwomen: Scientists Smash the Glass Ceiling in Sydney, NSW. Friday 17 August