Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Today is #InternationalWomensDay. We celebrate all the amazing women who create and inspire a better world.
#WomenofCourage: The Courage to Challenge Conventions ⚛️🔭
For #IWD2022, we are putting the spotlight on Professor Jackie Ying, founding director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
She is an American nanotechnology scientist who graduated from Princeton University and was inducted to Singapore Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions in science and engineering in Singapore. In 2021, she was elected as member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, which is one of the the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
With women making up less than 40% of the STEM workforce both in the United States and Singapore, Professor Ying is an example that women can also lead in this field. Her story also shows us how men can play an important role in shaping future women leaders in the field of STEM. #HeForShe
Listen to her inspiring story.
INTERVIEW IN FULL:
"As a woman in STEM, basically there are very few women role models. However, the women are very supportive of each other. And I will also say that there are also a lot of men who I had as professors and mentors who are wonderful in providing advice.
My father was definitely my STEM hero growing up, he will spend quite a bit of time teaching me and my brother mathematics, although he was a professor in Chinese literature.
When I was in Cooper Union, Professor John Bove brought me into doing research. And that opened a whole new possibility for me. I realized that it is not just textbook chemistry, but something that we can actually apply. It was because of him that I started pursuing research and then went on to Princeton for my graduate studies.
I subsequently became a professor at MIT. MIT was a wonderful place, it allowed us to have the possibility to pursue scientific research that has exciting practical applications.
I choose to pursue a career in scientific research, because this is something that you can make a tremendous impact to society. We are doing a lot of research that I'm very excited about. One of the most exciting things is to work on developing new materials that can be used for delivering drugs to the targeted organ, to the targeted cells for treating cancer or for treating infectious diseases."
For the women and girls who are interested in STEM, I very much encourage you to do research internships at the national labs, at the universities, and also in companies, including startups. This is a very interesting way of finding out how the textbook curriculum, get translated into something that can help us solve many different complex problems in society."
Today is #InternationalWomensDay. We celebrate all the amazing women who create and inspire a better world.
#WomenofCourage: The Courage to Challenge Conventions ⚛️🔭
For #IWD2022, we are putting the spotlight on Professor Jackie Ying, founding director of the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
She is an American nanotechnology scientist who graduated from Princeton University and was inducted to Singapore Women's Hall of Fame for her contributions in science and engineering in Singapore. In 2021, she was elected as member of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, which is one of the the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
With women making up less than 40% of the STEM workforce both in the United States and Singapore, Professor Ying is an example that women can also lead in this field. Her story also shows us how men can play an important role in shaping future women leaders in the field of STEM. #HeForShe
Listen to her inspiring story.
INTERVIEW IN FULL:
"As a woman in STEM, basically there are very few women role models. However, the women are very supportive of each other. And I will also say that there are also a lot of men who I had as professors and mentors who are wonderful in providing advice.
My father was definitely my STEM hero growing up, he will spend quite a bit of time teaching me and my brother mathematics, although he was a professor in Chinese literature.
When I was in Cooper Union, Professor John Bove brought me into doing research. And that opened a whole new possibility for me. I realized that it is not just textbook chemistry, but something that we can actually apply. It was because of him that I started pursuing research and then went on to Princeton for my graduate studies.
I subsequently became a professor at MIT. MIT was a wonderful place, it allowed us to have the possibility to pursue scientific research that has exciting practical applications.
I choose to pursue a career in scientific research, because this is something that you can make a tremendous impact to society. We are doing a lot of research that I'm very excited about. One of the most exciting things is to work on developing new materials that can be used for delivering drugs to the targeted organ, to the targeted cells for treating cancer or for treating infectious diseases."
For the women and girls who are interested in STEM, I very much encourage you to do research internships at the national labs, at the universities, and also in companies, including startups. This is a very interesting way of finding out how the textbook curriculum, get translated into something that can help us solve many different complex problems in society."
