JCU NEWS: Dr Jodie Rummer shares inspiration behind encouraging more women into science and STEM careers

“You can be outdoorsy and feminine and sporty, whatever you want to be, and still be a successful scientist,” says award-winning Townsville-based scientist Dr Jodie Rummer.

Marine biologist and James Cook University researcher Dr Jodie Rummer.

Marine biologist Dr Jodie Rummer grew up a long way from the ocean.

“I grew up in Illinois, in the US — not surrounded by oceans at all,” she said.

“The only experience I had was from watching National Geographic and other documentaries on TV.

“I was given a mask and snorkel set for my birthday when I was five or six, and it was all over for me — I could breathe underwater and that was the best thing ever.”

But it was what Dr Rummer didn’t see on TV that inspired her most.

“I couldn’t have told you the names of any famous female marine scientists back then,” she said.

“I didn’t have any female role models.”

Marine biologist and James Cook University researcher Dr Jodie Rummer.

Dr Rummer is on a mission to change that for the next generation of aspiring female scientists, and has achieved some remarkable milestones in her career.

Dr Rummer is the Queensland Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year, a previous recipient of the prestigious UNESCO-L’Oréal Women in Science Fellowship, and is a leading authority on fish physiology.

“One of my catchphrases is, ‘If you can see it, you can become it’,” she said.

“It’s important for me to be a visible role model and show the next generation that you don’t have to be an old white guy in a lab coat.

“You can be outdoorsy and feminine and sporty, whatever you want to be, and still be a successful scientist.

“There are lots of different faces and voices in science today, and now, more than ever, we need those brilliant minds — all genders, all cultures, every background possible — to help solve the problems our planet is facing. That’s my inspiration.”

Originally published as JCU NEWS: Dr Jodie Rummer shares inspiration behind encouraging more women into science and STEM careers