International Day of Women and Girls in Science

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is an annual event celebrated on February 11th. Starting in 2015, the day helps to promote opportunities for girls and young women to study science and also helps us to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history who had a positive impact across all scientific fields.

At CCF, we recognize how important it is to have women and girls involved in science and technology. In the early 1970’s I was working with captive cheetahs at Wildlife Safari in the US and I was looking for answers about the species’ survival but there wasn’t much information available. I benefited from people in the scientific community encouraging me to pursue more information, do research, and take action and risks. That is how CCF came to be.

This year’s theme for the celebration is Innovate. Demonstrate. Elevate. Advance. Sustain. (I.D.E.A.S.). It is critical that we elevate ALL people who have an interest in science and who are willing to learn about the important role that predators play in the landscape. We are always looking for new ways to advance and promote conservation training and environmental education.

At our genetics lab, model farm, research clinic, and biomass demonstration centre we welcome hundreds of interns every year, encouraging their growth into scientific careers by engaging with their interests. Below are some of the women we welcomed during 2022, as they continued their pursuit of scientific degrees at CCF.

We are very pleased to have a diverse and talented team of researchers at CCF who are all contributing to the scientific community through their work. Each department carries out its own studies and the researchers working at CCF publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals across many fields of study. There is so much to be studied in the cheetah’s ecosystem that anyone who wants to learn and grow in the sciences should be encouraged to do so. Women and girls are needed in science just as much as boys and men. We all have a part to play and the sciences benefit from everyone’s participation.