On March 29, the South Alabama Women in Ocean Science (WOS) club hosted a panel discussion with representatives from the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Alabama Aquarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and the Alabama Department of Marine Resources.

Some of the challenges that the panelists described included feelings of imposter syndrome, overheating and physical strains, and the unpredictability of day-to-day operations. Mendel Graeber, Aquarium Educator at Alabama Aquarium, described how her priorities shifted once she became a mother.

“Some people feel like [parenthood] may kind of derail their careers, or they feel like they have fewer choices,” Graeber said. “My husband and I worked in the same department at the time, and having two parents work 60 to 80 hours a week is something that I didn’t want to do [with a newborn].”

WOS Vice President Madison Thornhill, the organizer of this panel event, emphasized the importance of bringing all of these struggles to light, including the challenge of family-building in a physically and mentally demanding field.

Women in Ocean Science C.I.C. is an international nonprofit organization that aims to elevate women’s voices and empower them to thrive in ocean-related fields. The chapter at South has been active since September 2023, but it has recently received recognition from the Student Government Association as a registered student organization in late March.

Ashleigh Bock, the president of WOS, has seen the organization grow immensely from the beginning of the school year, and she hopes to continue sharing the club’s mission.

“Ocean issues are female issues, and we believe in putting gender equality at the heart of marine science and conservation,” Bock said. “At South Alabama, we want to provide members with the opportunity to expand their networks with other female role models in marine sciences, provide opportunities to further education and career-related roles, establish a safe community for females to connect, share, and mentor each other and be able to provide them with many skill sets that are interdisciplinary.”

In addition to serving as club president, Bock is also a University Ambassador. Bock has worked to represent the university on an international level, working closely with organization leaders who are based in the UK. According to the WOS website, there are 65 ambassadors across 55 academic institutions, and at the time of her application, there were no other ambassadors near South’s campus.

“Through the ambassador program, there are many resources given to us that we were to share through outreach on our campus,” Bock said. “The best way I thought to go about that was to start an organization specifically for these women I was looking to share this with!”

Outreach Coordinator Cordelia Gillenwater echoed many of Bock’s sentiments, and she looks forward to sharing the goals of the organization with other like-minded people through meetings and events.

“One of my favorite events that we’ve done so far was our sunset beach potluck,” Gillenwater said. “It was so nice to see a whole group of female scientists sitting down at the place we all love so much talking about the things we’re passionate about.”

Per the international guidelines of Women in Ocean Science, official membership is limited to females and those who identify as female. However, when it comes to general meetings and events that are not specified to be “for members only,” all are welcome and encouraged to attend, regardless of gender identity or sex.

This Saturday, April 6, WOS is hosting a self-defense class at McCranie Martial Arts Center. Due to limited space, the class will be open to all female-identifying students with a major, minor, or concentration in marine science upon completion of a Google Form and safety waiver. Later in April, the club is planning to have a sand art night and a final exam study night.

“The title ‘Women in Ocean Science’ can sound very restrictive, but we [welcome] all the women and female-identifying people who have a passion for the ocean,” Gillenwater said. “You don’t have to be a marine science major, minor or concentration to attend a meeting; all we ask is that you want to be there!”

Update on April 6, 2024 at 12:55 p.m.: The author included the paragraph, “Per the international guidelines…,” upon asking for clarification regarding the club’s openness to all students.