Help keep this woman in science!

Who am I?

First I would like to introduce myself; my name is Charlene, I’m married, have two children and a part time job (I work nights). For the last three years I have been a mature student at The University of Essex studying for BSc in Genetics and am proud to say I am graduating with a 2.1 (YAY ME!), this wasn’t easy with my other commitments. I have been accepted onto my master’s degree but unable to afford the course fees (boo)

As you can imagine having small children and attending university is expensive. I have been lucky enough to receive student finance for my undergraduate studies but due to my age the government no longer believe that mature students, like me, are worth investing in.

Why is this important?

Woman in STEM subjects: Many female scientists literally ‘drop off’ after undergraduate degrees. Like me, many women in science have juggled a full family life alongside their careers.  Young girls need better role models in life, woman working in male dominated industries that they can look up to; these young women have the potential to make huge discoveries in their lifetime.

How to feed 11 billion? Another area I am passionate about is food security, by 2050 the world is set to grow and food production will need to increase by 50%. This requires major research into plant biotechnology (which will be my research area) that can look at how plants can adapt to the changing environment and reduce the loss of crops to unpredictable weather.

The Plan:

To complete my masters and then go onto a PhD position within plant science that will have the wider benefit to all; I was recently interview for a PhD and missed out due to not have a Masters (I came second!!!), I have an very exciting project lined up with the university.

Where will the funds go?

I’m not looking to cover the cost of living and  I have no intention of giving up my job while studying but need help with course fees and the cost of books.

Course fees: £4050
Travel to Uni:
Bus Pass for one year: £150
Train Fare for the year: £1500
Book/research journals/publications: £300

Total: £6000

I would be eternally grateful to anyone that could donate to help keep this woman in science and thank you for taking the time to look.

Thank you 

Charlene