RG x RACI_EmpoweringtheFutureofSTEM_singlepages300dpi - Book - Page 12
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C AT H Y F O L E Y
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P H YSi Ci ST A N D SCi E N C E A DVO CAT E
O
ne day, Cathy turned on her family’s black-and-white TV. The hosts
of Summer School of Science were busy doing experiments.
Magnets? Sound waves? Electricity? It was like watching magic in action!
Cathy loved puzzles. The idea that invisible forces could shape the world
thrilled her! She enjoyed exploring the mysteries of nature. But then a teacher said
something that Cathy would never forget. She said that Cathy wasn’t smart
enough to be a scientist. It felt like she’d been punched in the gut.
She stopped and thought about those horrible, hurtful words. Cathy is dyslexic.
It was true that she read a little more slowly than some of her classmates.
Sometimes she swapped letters around when she was writing her school
assignments. Her brain worked differently from a lot of other kids’. Her dyslexia
was part of what made her quick, clever mind special and what fuelled her sense
of wonder.
So she made an important decision: She would not let this ignorant woman’s
words hold her back. She would push harder, learn more, and pursue her interests.
With hard work and the help of some awesome mentors, she found strategies for
learning and communicating that worked for her.
At Macquarie University, Cathy earned her PhD in physics and became a
researcher. On one exciting project, she helped discover how to use
superconducting technology to locate mineral deposits deep underground.
On another, she used physics to make advances in medical imaging.
In 2021, she became Australia’s chief scientist. She advised the government on
science and technology, and helped to weave scientific innovation into the list of
the nation’s priorities. “It was an extraordinary privilege,” she said, “to amplify the
voices of researchers and show young people what’s possible in science.”
BORN 1957
AUSTRALi A
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