Celebrating women in science – Sharon’s story
It’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science! We’re proud to have many women contributing across all areas of our business.
Sharon Rowe is one of our Operations Technical Solutions Officers. She works to improve our water and sewage treatment plants and finds technical solutions to various challenges.
Her days are varied, she might be taking samples and checking microorganisms under the microscope or installing and testing new equipment to help our operators monitor water quality more easily.
A love of science
As a child, Sharon loved science and excelled in school, but she didn’t know any scientists growing up.
“My parents suggested nursing, which I probably would have loved as well but I only wanted to do science.”
Following her passion, Sharon earned an Honours degree in chemistry. Her first job took her to a Queensland aluminium refinery where she worked as a research chemist, and then she spent 19 years at Deakin’s Marine Science department.
After joining the Risk and Resilience Team at Wannon Water several years ago, she recently moved into the Operations Support and Projects team to re-engage with more hands-on science.
A varied role
“The job is very varied. We cover all of Wannon Water, all the water and sewage treatment plants and provide technical solutions to a wide range of different issues.”
Each day is different. Sharon might take samples and examine microorganisms under the microscope or install and test new equipment to help our operators monitor water quality more easily.
Looking to the future
While a lot has changed since Sharon began her career, and gender diversity is more common in the field, she believes it’s still important to challenge stereotypes.
“There’s lots of great women in science here, and especially in our smaller communities, it’s good to see diverse people doing different things and being the role models we might not have had before.”
Sharon’s advice for anyone interested in a career in science, is to follow your interest.