tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/take-it-from-me-53290/articlesTake it from me – The Conversation2019-07-24T19:59:27Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/994432019-07-24T19:59:27Z2019-07-24T19:59:27ZTraining my dog taught me that it’s people who really need training<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285465/original/file-20190724-110149-e9v1aq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Clara, keen as ever for some well-deserved attention.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">@anmore</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As I watched my hunting dog standing off the lead and lined up with all the other <a href="https://klm-international.info/en/rasseportrait/">Kleiner Münsterländers</a>, awaiting her turn to swim out and bring back the dead duck (an important training item) thrown into the deep water, I felt a sense of pride.</p>
<p>It dawned on me that people may not always be the best teachers for dogs. Her desire to fit in was evident as she echoed the behaviour of the dogs around her. Unfortunately, that echoing had also become evident on daily walks with a crew of less well-trained dogs.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229215/original/file-20180725-194146-7bc1nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229215/original/file-20180725-194146-7bc1nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229215/original/file-20180725-194146-7bc1nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229215/original/file-20180725-194146-7bc1nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=252&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229215/original/file-20180725-194146-7bc1nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229215/original/file-20180725-194146-7bc1nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229215/original/file-20180725-194146-7bc1nv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Retrieving.</span>
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<p>Let me be clear: I am not a hunter. While living in Denmark, under advice from locals and looking for a dog that was smart and a little challenging, I stumbled upon the Kleiner Münsterländer breed, originally bred in Münster in western Germany as a medium-sized hunting and family dog. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-dog-happy-ten-common-misconceptions-about-dog-behaviour-97541">Is your dog happy? Ten common misconceptions about dog behaviour</a>
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<p>They are smart and fast, and the one I ended up with, Clara, was described as “hard-headed” and a natural leader. But that somewhat euphemistic description left me completely unprepared for the challenges ahead. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229206/original/file-20180725-194158-1yq19wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229206/original/file-20180725-194158-1yq19wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229206/original/file-20180725-194158-1yq19wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229206/original/file-20180725-194158-1yq19wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229206/original/file-20180725-194158-1yq19wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229206/original/file-20180725-194158-1yq19wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229206/original/file-20180725-194158-1yq19wm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">It’s easy to learn bad behaviours; note the dog on left about to jump onto a table.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">@anmore</span></span>
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<p>This dog was not like the loyal, steadfast, obedient Labradors I knew. This one was wilful, always looking to take the reins, always challenging me to think up new ways to interact, new games to play, new things to learn, new ways to do things. For example, I gave her a reward so she would drop the rubbish she had picked up. Her response was then to deliberately retrieve more rubbish to get more rewards. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, my research involved designing a set of <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-20898-5_62">vibrating and tactile vests</a> that people could wear to help them relax, and that inactive people could use to <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3233858">become energised</a>. The vests were part of a larger European Union-funded project, <a href="https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/106852/factsheet/en">CultAR</a>, involving <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-91593-7_5">various technologies designed</a> to help tourists to navigate around cultural sites in Padua, Italy. As such the vests signalled when and which way to turn, and when to stop on arrival. </p>
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/271608949" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Testing a vibrotactile vest for directions and stopping.</span></figcaption>
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<p>I wondered whether similar research could be used to help dogs who were ageing, deaf or blind to continue exercising, but still be safe. Or even my dog, who understood Danish commands but not English ones when we were about to move to an English-speaking country. We set up a series of experiments to see whether dogs would easily receive and process commands if they were presented as vibrations, rather than as verbal commands. </p>
<p>We tried <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2995391">testing “vibrotactile” commands on dogs</a>, but the already trained ones has little use for yet another system of commands, and my dog was too sensitive to bear the vibrating sensations. </p>
<h2>Tough training</h2>
<p>The Kleiner Münsterländer hunters were far tougher when training their dogs than I wanted to be with mine. At the extreme end, they used archaic methods such as shock collars or isolating their dogs in cold rooms. In dog training, as in parenting, I believe punitive measures to enforce obedience should give way to more modern ideas about ensuring well-being and creating a bond of affection and enjoyment with the handler, owner or trainer.</p>
<p>In addition, as a researcher, I was just as interested in what my dog could teach me. She was undeniably smart and I could learn a lot from her navigation skills alone. So I began looking at how to incorporate her intelligence into her learning and training program in a way that would enrich both of our qualities of life. </p>
<p>We tried a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/825781754201521/">socialisation school</a>. With it came a whole new set of leads, commands and ceremonies. Clara adjusted, although I could see she loved to be with her own breed. Kleiner Münsterländers are all a variation of each other; they become slightly mesmerised in each other’s company. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229212/original/file-20180725-194143-5duzgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229212/original/file-20180725-194143-5duzgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229212/original/file-20180725-194143-5duzgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229212/original/file-20180725-194143-5duzgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229212/original/file-20180725-194143-5duzgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229212/original/file-20180725-194143-5duzgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229212/original/file-20180725-194143-5duzgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=346&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Kleiner Münsterländers together.</span>
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<p>At a family Christmas in New Zealand, I bumped into <a href="http://www.markvette.com/">Mark Vette</a>, who trains animals for film and television, has worked with the celebrated animal behaviour researcher <a href="http://marcbekoff.com/">Marc Bekoff</a> and even ran a program to teach rescue dogs to drive – <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20614593">yes, really</a>. I was inspired to find other ways.</p>
<p>We moved to Australia in early 2017, and there was a lot to adjust to. Summers were far hotter than Denmark; indoors in winter was much colder. There was new language, new smells, different dogs to meet, and different landscapes to explore – no more dog parks in forests! </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227298/original/file-20180712-27030-1g69uay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/227298/original/file-20180712-27030-1g69uay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227298/original/file-20180712-27030-1g69uay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227298/original/file-20180712-27030-1g69uay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227298/original/file-20180712-27030-1g69uay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227298/original/file-20180712-27030-1g69uay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/227298/original/file-20180712-27030-1g69uay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Walking in the forest in Denmark – in the regions, the dog parks are usually large forested areas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">@anmore</span></span>
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<p>Again, too, our training involved a new set of leads, commands and ceremonies. This time we were in a pack with leaders (both <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dogknowledgy/photos/pcb.1748514508575126/1748514451908465/?type=3&theater">canine and human</a>) where the dogs (and the main trainer) were perceived as alphas, or leaders (wolves). Some methods involved negative reinforcement: giving the dogs an unpleasant experience to prevent them repeating that behaviour. </p>
<p>By now we had tried three different methods of dog training, each with their own failings. For example, my dog would be bored easily with repetitive acts, or we did activities that were not particularly useful or relevant in our daily lives, or she simply complied out of fear, but this was not the relationship I wanted to foster. Something began to dawn on me: the failings were ours, not the dogs’. </p>
<p>We might get frustrated with our dogs for not following our commands, but we are just as likely to let them down by getting distracted or being inconsistent in our reactions to particular behaviours. The dog is only trying to make sense of what we communicate, so if we give them mixed messages – perhaps by only responding to their barks if we’re not in the middle of something else more pressing – then confusion and stress ensue. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/are-you-walking-your-dog-enough-100530">Are you walking your dog enough?</a>
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<p>If consistency is the key, and the failure to be consistent is ours, what can we do to be more consistent and help our animals to live a stress-free life? Perhaps it is us who need a wearable vibrating device to remind us to stay on cue.</p>
<p>A small buzz on the wrist could “train” us to be more vigilant and attentive to our dogs, in situations where they are trying desperately to tell us something. (“There’s someone coming towards the house – I’d better keep warning my owner, more loudly this time, as I don’t think she’s heard me yet…”)</p>
<p>Wearables could also help alert us to the <a href="https://yourdogsfriend.org/help/fearful-shy/">small but telltale signs of stress</a> in our dogs: ears pinned back, hard focus of eyes, stiffening of body, and so on.</p>
<p>We already have a plethora of devices to help stave off boredom and loneliness for animals who are left at home alone for long hours. Maybe there’s a market for devices that ease our dogs’ stress when we’re hanging out with them too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99443/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ann Morrison does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It can be tough to train a dog – but mainly because humans are even more prone to distraction and inconsistency than our canine companions. Wearable technology might help us be a bit more consistent.Ann Morrison, Honorary Associate Professor, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/959302018-05-04T00:40:47Z2018-05-04T00:40:47ZTake it from me: neuroscience is advancing, but we’re a long way off head transplants<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217499/original/file-20180503-153869-fatn9r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pick a head, any head! </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tambov-russian-federation-march-24-2015-263582948?src=OeDSzC_8kcB1aiLCcEVEsw-1-0">from www.shutterstock.com </a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em><strong>Take it from me</strong> is a new series in Science and Technology, where we find an expert to provide a personal but informed perspective on a topical issue.</em></p>
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<p>In the 1983 film <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085894/">The Man with Two Brains</a>, Steve Martin’s character falls in love with the disembodied brain of a woman named Anne. </p>
<p>But what once sat in the realm of movies and science fiction novels now seems slightly more plausible. Recent advances in neuroscience have lead to human cells being grown into “<a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/04/the-ethics-of-growing-complex-structures-with-human-brain-cells/">mini brains</a>” in the lab, and brains of decapitated pigs being “<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43928318">kept alive</a>” for a day and a half. </p>
<p>So are we closer to a time when brains may be able to function in isolation from a body – leading to head transplants or even brains frozen and brought back to life in the future? </p>
<p>I think such possibilities are a long way off. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-blood-letting-to-brain-stimulation-200-years-of-parkinsons-disease-treatment-75914">From blood letting to brain stimulation: 200 years of Parkinson's disease treatment</a>
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<h2>A brain without a body</h2>
<p>Professor Nenad Sestan of Yale University <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43928318">reported</a> in March that he and his team restored blood circulation to the brains of decapitated pigs, and kept brain cells alive and functioning for up to 36 hours. </p>
<p>This technology, called “<a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611007/researchers-are-keeping-pig-brains-alive-outside-the-body/amp/">BrainEx</a>”, restores circulation by connecting the brain to a series of pumps and heaters that pump artificial blood and carry oxygen to key regions, including areas deep inside the brain. This allows even <a href="http://www.perimed-instruments.com/introduction-to-microcirculation">microcirculation</a> – the flow of blood to the smallest blood vessels and cells – to be restored. </p>
<p>This work opens up a number of potential future research avenues, including the ability to test new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-can-change-our-brain-and-its-ability-to-cope-with-disease-with-simple-lifestyle-choices-91699">We can change our brain and its ability to cope with disease with simple lifestyle choices</a>
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<p>A more developed area of neuroscience is the generation of <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/04/the-ethics-of-growing-complex-structures-with-human-brain-cells/">brain organoids</a>, “mini brains” grown from human <a href="http://stemcell.childrenshospital.org/about-stem-cells/pluripotent-stem-cells-101/">stem cells</a> and kept alive in the laboratory. </p>
<p>These organoids mimic features of the developing brain, allowing researchers to undertake research into conditions such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322317321972">autism spectrum disorders</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-017-0054-x">schizophrenia</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">It doesn’t get much kookier than this 1983 trailer.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Are the brains really alive?</h2>
<p>Sestan believes his approach to keeping pig brains alive is likely to work in other species, including <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611007/researchers-are-keeping-pig-brains-alive-outside-the-body/amp/">primates</a>. </p>
<p>But what might keeping brains “alive” mean for the individual? Might it be possible for the disembodied brain to retain its consciousness and memory, devoid of any sensory input or ability to communicate? </p>
<p>Monitoring of the pig brains via a technique known as <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/eeg">EEG</a> showed <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611007/researchers-are-keeping-pig-brains-alive-outside-the-body/">no sign</a> of complex electrical activity indicating thought or sensation. This could be due to lowered activity or damage of brain cells during the procedure. </p>
<p>But <a href="http://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2013/10/hope-is-found-even-in-flat-lined-eeg-13855/">some research</a> has indicated that, even when the EEG is a flat line, there may still be some <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/brain-activity-coma_n_3953473.html">activity</a> in deep brain structures such as the hippocampus, a brain area critical for memory.</p>
<p>The question of measuring activity is also relevant to the brain organoids. With improvements in techniques, there is the potential that organoids may become more complex. Although it’s still very unlikely, it’s possible they may take on aspects of higher-order brain functioning, such as feeling pleasure and pain, storing memories, or even experiencing some degree of consciousness.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/trust-me-im-an-expert-the-science-of-pain-91907">Trust Me I'm An Expert: The science of pain</a>
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<h2>What is consciousness?</h2>
<p>Consciousness is one of the most difficult brain phenomena to explain, and a question that modern neuroscience is just beginning to make progress on. It’s even difficult to actually define what consciousness <em>is</em>. </p>
<p>Australian philosopher David Chalmers has referred to these challenges as the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201303/what-is-consciousness">“hard problem” of consciousness</a> – understanding why consciousness occurs. </p>
<p>Multiple theories and models of consciousness have been proposed, and experts tussle back and forth about which is most accurate. Some critics even claim that most theories of consciousness are “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/03/phlegm-theories-of-consciousness/472812/">worse than wrong</a>” – they don’t actually explain anything. </p>
<p>Physiologically, the EEG is still the most sensitive measure to indicate consciousness. When an individual is awake and alert, the EEG is “<a href="https://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/physio/vlab/biomed_signals/eeg_n.htm">activated</a>”, characterised by low voltage, high frequency fast brain waves. </p>
<p>When there is a loss of consciousness, brain waves slow down and get higher in amplitude as brain cells alter their firing rates. </p>
<p>Parts of the brain thought to be involved in consciousness include the rear part of the cerebral cortex (at the surface), and also deeper structures such as the brainstem. EEG activity in specific areas of the brain may be one of the most effective ways to discriminate between conscious and unconscious individuals.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-traumatic-brain-injury-75546">Explainer: what is traumatic brain injury?</a>
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<h2>Can a brain without a body be conscious?</h2>
<p>Currently we are a long way from experimental models of the human brain – such as brain organoids or disembodied brains – being conscious. However, we could need to confront such a possibility as technology advances and models become more sophisticated.</p>
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<span class="caption">Pigs are very smart animals – they can be taught to play computer games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-pigs-on-farm-134362790?src=EkNc7C_di4wLG8HcviEabg-1-44">from www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>Indeed, the hope of this has led to initiatives such as cryogenically preserving (freezing) brains, and even proposed head transplants. </p>
<p>But I wouldn’t rush out and put my name down for these procedures just yet. In the case of <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-42835119/cryonics-your-body-preserved-for-future-revival">cryogenically</a> preserving tissue, evidence has yet to demonstrate that all areas of the brain are reached with the antifreeze used to protect tissue from fracturing at the extremely low temperatures. </p>
<p>Even if the tissue can somehow be protected from freezing damage, warming that tissue back up again is likely to result in further <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/11/18/scientific-backlash-after-high-court-rules-teenager-can-be-froze/">extensive problems</a>. This would make it difficult, if not impossible, to ever return the brain to a conscious state – and that’s all before you deal with the issues inherent in actually transplanting the brain into another body.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-our-brains-freak-us-out-with-scary-dreams-81329">Curious Kids: Why do our brains freak us out with scary dreams?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Many unknowns also exist with head transplants. While Italian neurosurgeon Professor Sergio Canavero has claimed that he will carry out the first <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/04/27/cryogenically-frozen-brains-will-woken-transplanted-donor-bodies/">human head transplant</a> in 2018, many neuroscientists are sceptical. </p>
<p>There are a host of <a href="http://www.popsci.com.au/tech/military/no-human-head-transplants-will-not-be-possible-by-2017,401150">issues</a> with such a procedure. There’s the possibility of rejection of the head by the donor body, and the difficulty of connecting the spinal cord to the brain in a way that the brain can control the donor body. Additionally, even if it did work in a physical sense, there are problems around how such a procedure might affect the individual’s sense of self-awareness or consciousness.</p>
<h2>Where should the field go from here?</h2>
<p>There are many ethical concerns linked to the idea of brains in culture or removed from bodies – including what protections are necessary, how to address issues around consent, ownership and post-research tissue handling, and even how to define death. </p>
<p>In late April, 17 experts in neuroscience, stem-cell biology, ethics and philosophy published an editorial in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-04813-x#ref-CR15">Nature</a> outlining many of the issues that need to be considered and calling for “clear guidelines for research”. </p>
<p>Such conversations also need to be held outside of academic circles and should engage ethics committees, research funding bodies, and, most importantly, the wider <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/historic-decision-allows-uk-researchers-to-trial-three-person-babies-1.21182">public</a>. </p>
<p>While there has never been a more exciting time to work in neuroscience, it is critical that proper safeguards be put in place now as models continue to advance.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/real-bodies-controversy-how-australian-museums-regulate-the-display-of-human-remains-95644">Real Bodies controversy: how Australian museums regulate the display of human remains</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95930/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lyndsey Collins-Praino receives funding from the NeuroSurgical Research Foundation and the Commercial Accelerator Scheme.</span></em></p>‘Mini brains’ can be grown in the lab, and brains of decapitated pigs were recently ‘kept alive’ for a day and a half. But what makes a conscious brain?Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Senior Lecturer in School of Medicine, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/926802018-04-08T19:56:17Z2018-04-08T19:56:17ZTake it from me: I’m not signing up to become a space tourist just yet…<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212102/original/file-20180327-188613-14cusyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Kids dream about going to space – and some very wealthy adults are booking tickets. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/child-girl-astronaut-costume-playing-dreaming-1045979281?src=a2wzMR_G74hrIB-hv4qfWQ-1-6">from www.shutterstock.com </a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em><strong>Take it from me</strong> is a new series in Science and Technology, where we find an expert to provide a personal but informed perspective on a topical issue.</em></p>
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<p>Elon Musk’s SpaceX reportedly has two people signed up for a trip around the Moon (although these plans have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/08/spacewatch-tourists-wait-spacex-bigger-rocket">delayed slightly</a>), and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has advanced plans to launch space tourists from 2018 for a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/this-company-is-only-months-away-from-sending-tourists-into-space-2018-1?IR=T">mere US$250,000 each</a> – hundreds of people have <a href="https://www.space.com/36654-virgin-galactic-fly-space-tourists-2018.html">already registered</a>. </p>
<p>Is there anyone reading this who didn’t want to be an astronaut when they were a child? I was especially passionate, but it was back in the days when Australian women weren’t allowed to be military or commercial pilots, and we didn’t have a space program, so that was the end of that.</p>
<p>These days, having gained post-graduate qualifications in space studies and aviation medicine, I sustain my passion through my work as a medical educator, doctor and extreme environments researcher. </p>
<p>So, am I excited that we are edging closer to space tourism being a reality, and would I like to go? Yes, of course! (Assuming it was a lot more affordable). However, the child within is tempered by a rationalist voice saying “not until it is all proven and safely bedded down”.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-tourism-to-terrorists-fast-moving-space-industries-create-new-ethical-challenges-84618">From tourism to terrorists, fast-moving space industries create new ethical challenges</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Let’s be practical</h2>
<p>Sending tourists around the Moon still seems impossibly ambitious at present, so let’s just concentrate on what are commonly known as “sub-orbital” flights. These will take participants to the edge of space, around 100 kilometres above the Earth, so that they can experience both “weightlessness” (microgravity) and the breath-taking view of our precious blue planet below.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212096/original/file-20180327-188613-8yva0s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212096/original/file-20180327-188613-8yva0s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212096/original/file-20180327-188613-8yva0s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212096/original/file-20180327-188613-8yva0s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212096/original/file-20180327-188613-8yva0s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212096/original/file-20180327-188613-8yva0s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/212096/original/file-20180327-188613-8yva0s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This view of Earth shows the turquoise of shallow seas around the Caribbean islands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/nasa-captures-epic-earth-image">NASA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Apart from lots of spare cash, what do we need in order to be a space tourist? </p>
<p>The first essential component is a spaceship that can withstand both high G-forces (gravitational forces) and the sub-space environment, and also launch, fly and land safely. It must protect us from the environmental hazards outside – extreme high altitude and low barometric (atmospheric) pressure, extreme cold and a virtual absence of oxygen. </p>
<h2>A lot of training</h2>
<p>We will need highly trained and experienced pilots, and to be suitably trained and attired ourselves.</p>
<p>In his book <a href="http://www.scottkelly.com/"><em>Endurance</em></a>, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly mentions that he had been training since 1999 in one way or another for his 2015-16 year-long mission to the International Space Station. We would expect our space pilots also to have been through a long apprenticeship. </p>
<p>What about ourselves? Astronauts typically spend years training for a mission. Like any fledgling exploration enterprise, at present commercial imperatives are well ahead of governmental regulation, so it is likely to be left up to the operators as to what specific training is required.</p>
<p>However, we can expect this to include informed consent and emergency response training, and physiological familiarisation training. This might include time in a centrifuge to simulate high G-forces, an altitude chamber to simulate low atmospheric pressure and low oxygen levels, and potentially, “parabolic” flights to provide an experience of weightlessness (like the infamous NASA “<a href="https://www.space.com/37942-vomit-comet.html">Vomit Comet</a>” – a zero gravity plane).</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FEWy6jyBLfM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Would you take a ride on the “Vomit Comet”?</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>So who’s in?</h2>
<p>This brings us to the tricky question of who should be a space tourist? </p>
<p>Only the fittest and healthiest people can become astronauts. However, the bar is likely to be set a lot lower for space tourists, and at present each commercial provider will set its own standards. Passengers may need to visit a specialist doctor for a “space medical” and an assessment of their response to training.</p>
<p>People with pre-existing medical conditions will not necessarily be excluded. That said, they will still need to demonstrate an ability to manage the psychological and extreme physiological stresses of a sub-orbital journey, such as high G-forces and relative hypoxia (low oxygen) at altitude, and to handle themselves safely in an emergency. </p>
<p>In addition to providing a pressurised cabin with supplemental oxygen, risk mitigation strategies may include passengers wearing body-hugging pressure suits for protection against the effects of sudden depressurisation and hypoxia.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/looking-up-a-century-ago-a-vision-of-the-future-of-space-exploration-89859">Looking up a century ago, a vision of the future of space exploration</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Even if you get past these hurdles, there is no way of predicting who will develop space motion sickness (nausea and/or vomiting) when exposed to microgravity. This occurs due to the disorientation of the vestibular (balance) system in the inner ear when it loses all its familiar inputs. This risk should not be a deal-breaker (the same as for astronauts), but it would need to be well-managed from both sides, as it could otherwise be hazardous for everyone in the cabin.</p>
<p>With any type of human exploration, there are risks as we push boundaries, and there are inevitably mishaps and fatalities as a result. Space exploration is no exception. </p>
<p>Sadly, lives have been lost at nearly every stage of advancement, including during one of the Virgin Galactic early test flights. </p>
<p>With any type of aircraft, crashes are most common during the take-off and landing phases, and depressurisation incidents at altitude can be catastrophic. Space tourism will most likely not be immune, which for me means that I will not be rushing into booking a ticket (even if I could afford it).</p>
<p>To quote the Spanish philosopher <a href="http://www.dictionary.com/browse/those-who-cannot-remember-the-past-are-condemned-to-repeat-it">George Santayana</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it</em>. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Keep looking up at the stars and dreaming, and work out what level of acceptable risk is right for you.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92680/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rowena Christiansen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With any type of human exploration, there are risks as we push boundaries, and there are inevitably mishaps and fatalities as a result. Space tourism is no exception.Rowena Christiansen, Medical Education Tutor, Doctor and Researcher, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/930602018-03-09T02:48:39Z2018-03-09T02:48:39ZTake it from us: here’s what we need in an ambassador for women in science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209514/original/file-20180308-30969-uuimqf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Computer scientist and Computing Education Specialist Dr Nicky Ringland meets with Burwood Girls students. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nicky Ringland</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government announced yesterday that it will appoint a “<a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/women-in-science-ambassador-will-be-appointed-to-inspire-schoolgirls">Women in Science ambassador</a>” to travel to schools around Australia and encourage young girls to pursue careers in science and technology.</p>
<p>It sounds like a good idea – but talking to teens is not enough. </p>
<p>We argue that an ambassador needs to do more than just encourage interest. Such a person should address structure and culture, and remove barriers that impede women’s progress in science and technology, which are still in place even in 2018. That person should also promote existing role models across science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM).</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/step-by-step-were-tackling-gender-equity-in-australian-astronomy-80813">Step by step, we're tackling gender equity in Australian astronomy</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Few women at the top</h2>
<p>Women remain poorly represented in STEMM – <a href="http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/2016/03/report-australias-stem-workforce/">just 16%</a> of top-level science and technology researchers and professionals are women. </p>
<p>Australia’s higher education and research institutions have a “leaky pipeline” in STEMM. More than half of all undergraduate and PhD students are women, and around <a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">50% of junior science lecturers are women</a>.</p>
<p>However, by the time women reach Senior Lecturer (roughly equivalent to a middle management position), this percentage falls dramatically, resulting in just <a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">21% of professorial positions</a> (senior management) held by women. </p>
<p>But why this marked difference in the fate of men and women in STEMM? </p>
<p>One might think the difference in gender representation can be explained by women choosing family over a career. But it’s not all down to having and caring for children. Relative to men, women without children have <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/438559c">similar disparity in career progression</a> to women with children. So what is the true cause? </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209497/original/file-20180308-30954-182856o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209497/original/file-20180308-30954-182856o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209497/original/file-20180308-30954-182856o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209497/original/file-20180308-30954-182856o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209497/original/file-20180308-30954-182856o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209497/original/file-20180308-30954-182856o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209497/original/file-20180308-30954-182856o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian of the Year and physicist Michelle Simmons with high school students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dr Nicky Ringland</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Structure and culture</h2>
<p>Until the <a href="https://herstoria.com/womens-access-to-higher-education-an-overview-1860-1948/">mid-late nineteenth century</a> women were unwelcome at universities, and not allowed to study subjects or work in fields like maths and physics, which were reserved exclusively for men. The legacy of this deliberately biased beginning is alive and well in the structure and culture of modern STEMM disciplines. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/calling-all-parents-australias-future-female-scientists-need-your-support-now-89025">Calling all parents – Australia's future female scientists need your support now</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>The short-termism in STEMM job contracts – highlighted by Professor Emma Johnston, President of Science Technology Australia, in her <a href="https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/national-press-club-address-9-10-australians-profess-their-love-for-science-this-valentines-day/">National Press Club address</a> – and the expectation that researchers are highly mobile and able to relocate anywhere in the world is based on the traditional “male breadwinner” model. According to this model, a man’s family will follow him to a job. </p>
<p>The pressure to consistently produce research publications, attend conferences, mentor students, and work increasingly long overtime hours is not amenable to people in caring roles, which are most often taken up by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/grogonomics/2017/dec/12/no-more-nappy-valley-but-childcare-still-an-issue-for-working-women">women</a>. Consequently women are excluded from critical networking opportunities and have reduced research output, resulting in competitive disadvantage. </p>
<p>In addition, sexual harassment, assault, non-inclusive behaviour, and unchecked unconscious bias in <a href="https://theconversation.com/unconscious-bias-is-keeping-women-out-of-senior-roles-but-we-can-get-around-it-73518">hiring</a> and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1348/014466600164480/full">promotion</a> practices remain common.</p>
<p>We argue that an effort to get girls and women interested in STEMM is misplaced – they are already naturally interested. Rather than attracting more girls and women into STEMM, or focusing on initiatives that <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/its-not-women-who-need-to-change-but-the-world-of-work-20170227-gumjkh.html">“fix” women</a> so they are forced to adapt to the existing model, we have other ideas. </p>
<p>Our new ambassador for women in science needs to promote social and cultural change to ensure it is equally possible for women and men to succeed. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/209612/original/file-20180308-30975-rzouby.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=586&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The leaky pipeline in academia sees women pushed out of the system at the middle-management level. Data adapted from the Department of Education and Training, Higher Education Research Data, 2014.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Here are five areas in which an ambassador for women in science could make a real impact on the current and future careers of Australian women in STEMM disciplines:</p>
<p><strong>1. Promote role models</strong> </p>
<p>Visibility matters in achieving equality – you cannot be what you cannot see. A <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/europe/features/dont-european-girls-like-science-technology/">recent study</a> of 11,000 high school students across Europe found that most girls become interested in STEMM under the age of 11, but that their interest wanes by 15. The lack of visible and accessible role models was identified as a key factor that influenced the girls in the study. </p>
<p>Girls need to see STEMM as a viable career option for themselves, and have access to authentic, honest, diverse and relatable role models. Responsibility lies with the government and media to ensure the voices of diverse women in STEMM are heard, and in science itself for supporting women within the system. </p>
<p>Science and Technology Australia’s <a href="https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/superstars-of-stem/">Superstars of STEM program</a> was designed to help address this.</p>
<p><strong>2. Take a discipline-by-discipline approach</strong></p>
<p>Across STEMM disciplines, there is enormous variation in the point at which gender inequity strikes. For example, 72% of of medical and health science graduates <a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">are women</a>, suggesting that feeding more women into the pipeline will have minimal influence on numbers at senior levels. </p>
<p>On the other hand, women in engineering and physics make up only around <a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">15% of graduates</a>, and there is a clear need for encouraging more young women to pursue these paths if we are to reach true gender equity. </p>
<p>Evidence from China, Malaysia and the former Soviet Union proves that this is possible in a <a href="http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/2016/11/occasional-paper-busting-myths-about-women-in-stem/">conducive cultural environment</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-achieve-gender-equality-we-must-first-tackle-our-unconscious-biases-92848">To achieve gender equality, we must first tackle our unconscious biases</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>3. Engage senior men</strong> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/Stats_at_a_Glance.pdf">Up</a> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-08/fewer-women-ceos-than-men-named-john/8327938">to</a> <a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">80%</a> of the individuals in positions of power in STEMM disciplines are men. </p>
<p>To accelerate cultural change, we need to mobilise a great proportion of these men to recognise the barriers facing women in STEMM, recruit their peers to the cause, and lead by example to facilitate and enact positive reform. </p>
<p>One such example is the <a href="http://malechampionsofchange.com/">Male Champions of Change</a> program, which could be expanded to see continual recruitment of new champions, use of concrete diversity targets, and compulsory reporting of outcomes to measure success. </p>
<p><strong>4. Be a watchdog</strong></p>
<p>We need the ambassador for women in science to act as or appoint an independent ombudsman for confidential complaints of <a href="http://www.capa.edu.au/2017-sexual-assault-sexual-harassment-survey-universities-australia-australian-human-rights-commission/">sexual harassment, assault and bullying in STEMM</a>. </p>
<p>Institutes and universities often <a href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/sex-discrimination/publications/change-course-national-report-sexual-assault-and-sexual">fail survivors</a> – the reasons are complex, but one factor is because they have a vested interest in <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/harassment-victims-deserve-better-1.19190">protecting their reputation</a>. An independent ombudsman bypasses this conflict, and creates an avenue for reporting abuse without fear of reprisal. </p>
<p>It is essential that the new ambassador has the agency to directly enact change and to force compliance by guilty parties when necessary – for example, by withholding funding, barring access on campus, or instigating disciplinary action, including termination of employment. </p>
<p><strong>5. Advocate for carers</strong> </p>
<p>In STEMM, grants, promotions and award systems all depend on research output – and this can be significantly interrupted by caring duties. </p>
<p>In general, women are the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/grogonomics/2017/dec/12/no-more-nappy-valley-but-childcare-still-an-issue-for-working-women">primary caregivers for children</a> and shoulder <a href="http://whv.org.au/static/files/assets/2aaa851d/Women_and_informal_caregiving_GIA.pdf">71% of the responsibility</a> for informal care of family and friends with disabilities, mental illness, chronic conditions or terminal illness. </p>
<p>The ambassador for women in science needs to advocate for national guidelines that support carers. The guidelines must include support for the maintenance of research momentum while on leave and when returning from leave, the right to pause fixed term contracts during career breaks, and that these be adjusted to part-time work. We need tailored guidelines for measuring research output from people who have taken career breaks. </p>
<p>Although women take on the bulk of caring responsibilities, it is essential to promote and encourage schemes and attitudes that are neutral to the gender of the carer to ensure everyone can share these important roles.</p>
<p>Why is gender equity in STEMM a worthwhile pursuit? For the same reason that diversity of all kinds is to be promoted and celebrated. The great global humanitarian and environmental problems of our time have solutions in STEMM, and STEMM practitioners are the world’s problem solvers. Diversity brings unique perspectives to STEMM, increasing the probability of creative, innovative solutions to the world’s grand challenges.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93060/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy L Heffernan is an NHMRC-ARC Dementia Development Research Fellow, is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council, and is affiliated with the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and STA's Superstars of STEM program. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Umbers is an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, is funded by the Hermon Slade Foundation and Western Sydney University, is involved in Invertebrate Conservation not-for-profit initiatives, and is affiliated with the International Society for Behavioural Ecology, the Ecological Society of Australia and STA's Superstars of STEM program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sanam Mustafa is an Australian Research Council Fellow at the Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics at the University of Adelaide and a participant of STA's Superstars of STEM program.</span></em></p>An ambassador needs to do more than just encourage young girls to enter STEMM, the role must address structural and cultural issues that push women out of the pipeline mid-career.Amy L Heffernan, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneKate Umbers, Lecturer in Zoology, Western Sydney UniversitySanam Mustafa, ARC Research Associate (Molecular Pharmacologist), University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.