Six women scientists discussed their careers and inspirations with young female science students on the International Women’s Day, as part of the annual Rose in Science Event (RISE) at the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Under the theme “Rose in Science, Be Yourself”，the guest speakers talked about their latest research achievements, why they chose science as their career, how to deal with obstacles and difficulties at work and in life, how to guide students, how to balance career and family, and gave advice to young female researchers. They encouraged the students to pursue their ideals with determination, overcome obstacles, persevere, and gain recognition from their peers on their own merit. They also stressed that it is important to enjoy a good life while pursuing career.

The guest speakers are Prof. Laura Na Liu from University of Stuttgart, Prof. Shanti Bhattacharya from Indian Institute of Technology, Prof. Yating Wan from King Abdullah University of Science & Technology, Prof. Louise Harra from the Physical Meteorological Observatory in Davos, World Radiation Center (PMOD/WRC), Prof. Frederique Vanholsbeeck form University of Auckland, and Professor Xinxue Ma from CIOMP.

The event, in two sessions, was hosted by Ms. Hui Wang of CIOMP, and streamed live on the iCANX platform, an Internet based academic video platform.

Professor Peng Xi of Peking University, Professor Andrey Shugarov of the Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Isinsu Baylam of the California Polytechnic State University (guest speaker of RISE 2022), as well as the Optica and SPIE student chapters of CIOMP sent messages of congratulations, wishing the event a complete success.

RISE has been held annually at CIOMP since 2015, when it was first launched as part of the International Year of Light global events. It celebrates women’s achievements in science in order to encourage more young women to take up science as a career. Today RISE has gradually expanded its international influence and has received strong support and resonance from women in scientific research around the world, becoming a platform for more and more women in scientific research to exchange and share.