On this International Women's Day, we celebrate the achievements and progress made by women worldwide, especially within the fields of technology and computer science.
In the last 100 years, women have made a lot of progress in politics, society, and the economy. Women have gained the right to vote, own property, and access higher education and healthcare. Women have broken down barriers in the workplace and have become leaders in fields previously dominated by men. We start the event with a refreshing talk from our wonderful panel of speakers, highlighting the role of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and sharing their personal experiences.
In the past, women may not have been encouraged to work in the STEM field because it was once dominated by men and was seen as a more masculine job that wasn't suitable for women. There are stereotypes, and women are often expected to work in business or finance, which are seen as more feminine fields. Recent changes, especially in Thailand, have shown that this is no longer the case. In Thailand, women have made a big step toward having more career options. Our panel of experts has talked about many interesting personal stories and points of view about women working in STEM fields. Some of our speakers who are currently working in STEM come from an engineering or scientific background, and some of their family members are involved in the field. However, most women pursuing STEM careers are simply passionate about the subjects. There is a misconception about not being able to pursue your studies in the STEM field if you are not good at math or science, which is false. As long as you are open to putting in the effort to try, then every possible path is open to you; nothing is impossible, said Tanassaluck Na Nakhon, one of our guest speakers. Thus, do not feel discouraged if you are not studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. There are no right or wrong answers to choosing to pursue a career in STEM; the most important thing is to give it a try.
After our guest speakers lead an interesting discussion and a Q&A session, our participants are invited to see the CMKL university projects. Everyone is welcome to ask the project owners at the scene questions and mingle with the other people there. The trash master project by our AiCE undergraduate students, the A1CE application, and the Porjai (Thai dialect dictation) application are among the research projects we have at our university. Guests are able to see firsthand what types of projects our students and faculties are working on in order to contribute to a sustainable future.
At CMKL, we hope to encourage more women to pursue careers or work in STEM, and we look forward to a future where the numbers of women and men are equal within the STEM field. International Women's Day is a reminder of the progress we have made and the work that still needs to be done. "If you want to do anything, go for it, you have a long future ahead of you, a chance to fail, a chance to take the risk, so don’t be afraid to fail; it won't be disastrous if you do." - Rardchawadee Silapunt. This year International Women’s day has proven to be a memorable event, and at CMKL, we are proud to hold this event and become a representative for women in the STEM industry! Please stay tuned for more meaningful events at CMKL University via our website (https://www.cmkl.ac.th/media/events) and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CMKLUniversity).
