WIREDGOV

First Minister presents honorary OBE to Professor Andrea Nolan.

First Minister Alex Salmond has presented Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal of Napier University, with her honorary OBE for her contribution to veterinary science and higher education.

The First Minister presented the award at a reception celebrating Scotland’s outstanding women in science, engineering and technology, which was also attended by female early career scientists and engineers who have been nominated by their university as rising stars and who have the potential to be our future science and engineering leaders.

The First Minister said:

“It was a great pleasure to present Professor Nolan with her honorary OBE. Professor Nolan is an outstanding academic, veterinarian and university leader who has led the way for many others to follow with her enthusiasm and commitment to veterinary science as well as Edinburgh Napier University.

“Science is fundamental to Scotland’s future success. This week learners across Scotland are taking Chemistry, Engineering Science and Biology exams. I wish them, and those taking other science qualifications this year, the very best of luck as the next generation of scientists and engineers.

“Our vision is of a nation of world-class scientific achievement, a magnet for talent and investment, a powerhouse of technology, innovation and enterprise contributing to increasing, sustainable economic growth. Women have a crucial role to play. We are committed to helping more women to achieve their full potential in the labour market and to the realisation of gender equality in Scotland.”

Professor Nolan added:

“I have been fortunate to work alongside many incredibly dedicated and talented colleagues during my time in higher education, without whom I would not be in a position to accept this honour.

“Our universities are institutions of which we can all be proud, and this accolade reflects the importance of higher education in Scotland and the UK.”

The First Minister also announced that the Scottish Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology will be rebranded as Equate Scotland. This will increase awareness of their expertise in gender equality and diversity in these sectors. It will also lead to a clearly defined focus for supporting women and assist employers and academia in science, engineering and technology across Scotland recruit and retain talented female staff.

Mr Salmond said:

“In 2012, I announced that the Scottish Government would fund a programme, to be run by the Centre, called Career WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) Scotland. I am delighted that this funding has helped secure 49 paid student placements for this summer and with over 800 applications from students interested in taking up these placements, there is clearly much demand. In addition, 50 school placements across 12 schools have been secured to run in autumn 2014.

“The Resource Centre has already done a lot of work to encourage women to consider careers in science, engineering and technology. I have no doubt that this valuable work will continue as the Resource Centre becomes Equate Scotland.”

Linda Somerville, Project Director of Equate Scotland, said:

“Across Scotland there is a growing demand for staff who are qualified in science, engineering and technology. Our energy and technology industries face skills shortages due to expansion and an aging workforce. Equate Scotland believes that everyone benefits from building a diverse workforce. We help employers to create a workplace culture that meets both their needs and allows women to succeed in their careers.”

Key facts:

• There was a record increase in female employment in the last year, with 62,000 more women being supported into work.
• The female employment rate is 69.4 per cent against a UK rate of 67.6 per cent (LFS Dec – Feb 2014).
• This year the majority of full time students under 24 years old are women.
• This academic year the Scottish Government is investing an extra £6.6 million to fund 2,000 more places this academic year, including women returning to education

Notes To Editors

Professor Nolan became the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh Napier University in July 2013.

Andrea graduated as a veterinary surgeon from Trinity College Dublin, and after a short time in veterinary practice embarked on an academic career which took her to the Universities of Cambridge, Bristol and the Technical University of Munich.

During the 1990s Andrea established herself as a research leader in the field of animal pain, and was appointed Professor of Veterinary Pharmacology in 1998. She has published extensively and has received awards for her work including the Pfizer Academic Award for Animal Health Research.

The Scottish Resource Centre has been at Edinburgh Napier University since June 2006. The centre became the Scottish delivery partner for the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET at Bradford College. The Scottish Government funds and supports the Centre following the UK Government decision to stop funding the UKRC.

Scottish Government is funding the Scottish Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology/Equate Scotland (£601,000 between 2012-15) to support the recruitment, retention, return and success of women where they are significantly under-represented; and Close the Gap (£615,000 between 2012-2015) to change employment practices and workplace cultures to support gender equality and tackle the pay gap. 

Video of the presentation and audio clips of the First Minister and Professor Nolan are available fromwww.flickr.com/scottishgovernment and https://soundcloud.com/#scotgov