b'0312.30 - 13.00 The Visibility of Role Models in STEMInterviews with STEM colleaguesI have had dierent role models at Dr Carla Harperdierent stages of my career, the first one Assistant Professor (Botany)was MIT Professor Maria Zuber. Most Dr Carla Harper holds ailiate positions withrecently Professor Larissa Naylor who I Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum at themet while she was an Oxford Ph.D University of Kansas (KU), as well as the Bavarian State Collection forstudent and is now a Professor at the Palaeontology and Geology (SNSB-BSPG), Munich. She was an AlexanderUniversity of Glasgow von Humboldt-Foundation fellow at the Ludwig-Maximilians-UniversittMunich, and a US National Science Foundation Oice of Polar ProgramsAntarctic postdoctoral researcher at KU. She received her Ph.D. in Ecologyand Evolutionary Biology from KU and has done field work in Antarctica.Dr Mary Bourke Her research interests include the biology and ecology of microorganismsAssociate Professor, and biotas in PermianJurassic ecosystems of Antarctica and late PaleozoicGeographyof Europe, symbiotic systems through time, as well as the biology,geochemistry, and evolution of fossil microbes. She is active in promotingDr Bourke spent her early mycological and paleobotanical research in Ireland.career working at a myriad of Strong leading women in science fiction films such as Ellie Sattler (Laurainstitutions: Starting with a Research Masters at Dern) in Jurassic Park and Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in Alien servedUniversity College Dublin and Ph.D. from the as a major inspiration for CJH to pursue a career in science. CJH hasAustralian National University;she then moved to mentored several women in paleontological research and led many publicthe Smithsonian Institution Washington DC. She outreach events geared towards young women in STEM. She is a memberthen took up an academic post at University of of the Trinity School of Natural Sciences Athena Swan committee and anOxford followed by a Senior Research Scientist advocate for prioritizing mental health. position at the Planetary Science Institute inTucson Arizona. She is an Earth and PlanetaryGeomorphologist with expertise in extremeenvironments on Earth and Mars. She haspublished on landscapes in Antarctica, Australia, Dr. Edith L. Taylor (Professor Emerita and Curator of Paleobotany,Namibia, Mars and Ireland. Throughout this University of Kansas). Edie is an extraordinary person, scientist,career-path labyrinth she experienced significant Antarctic explorer, and advocate for women in science at all levels challenges because of her age, gender and including establishing the Bibliography of Women in Science. Shenationality, and at other times these worked in has been a mentor throughout my academic career. Edie is one of theher favour. strongest people that I know and a daily inspiration as a woman inSTEM. I am honored to be a co-editor of her dedicated volume,Celebrating Women in Paleobotany: A Tribute to Edith L. Taylor, inthe International Journal of Plant Sciences to be published this year.'