Professor Pai Hyun-sook Receives UNESCO/L’ORÉAL Co-Sponsored Fellowships for Young Women in Life Sciences “Women’s entry into the fields of science lags far behind that of men, but women scientists will soon become the majority in some fields. I feel my role and responsibility as a female role model in the world of science.” Throughout her education and career, Professor Pai Hyun-sook was always in the minority group of female scientists. She was a rare female student when she chose biology as her major, and she still is the only female professor among 15 professors in her department. However, things are changing as female scientists in Korea are now showing a notable growth in both quality of researches and numbers of scientists. “Women’s entry into the field of science is still insufficient,” Professor Pai said, “but young female scientists in their thirties are producing outstanding results recently, and the number of female students in biology department is also growing to match that of male students.” Professor Pai received UNESCO/L’ORÉAL Co-Sponsored Fellowships for Young Women in Life Sciences for her contribution to the development of the field. She first became a biology student through her father’s suggestion and encouragement. She came to be attached to her major, but winning recognition from her male teachers and colleagues was by no means easy. “Women scientists need to be freed from compulsive feelings to become a perfect mother, understand their own shortcomings and be generous to themselves,” Professor Pai suggested. “Women scientists do not have to hesitate in getting help from others. That is how women can be recognized as scientists.” She also mentioned that the policies providing certain advantages to women scientists would be a good way for the time being, since women scientists are relatively in inferior situations. She suggests that applying research results to industries can be a good alternative to the current situation for professors. “There should be more cases of creating profits from academic researches by applying them to real industries, so that students won’t have to leave the field.” Courtesy of Maeil Economy Daily, Originally Written in Korean by Kim Je-gwan