Prof. (H.C.UA). Dr. Carina Citra Dewi Joe, BSc, MSc, PhD

• When did you first decide to study and pursue a career in STEM?
  When I was in high school, I always thought that I would be a doctor or an engineer. But one day during biology class in high school, my teacher presented a new field that was still rare in Indonesia but popular abroad, namely Biotechnology, specifically molecular biology. My teacher explained how to change the color of fish, which at that time was monochromatic from black and white to colorful. From then on I became very interested in Biotechnology, so I studied more about Biotechnology.
• What drives you to study and pursue a career in STEM?
  It was all driven by my desire to have meaningful work for others, essentially one that could change their lives.
  Encouragement also came from my school when I learned more about Biotechnology, it turns out that its application is not only to change the color of fish. It can also be used for medical, agricultural, and also for food, changing the genetics of agricultural crops. After knowing all that, I decided, the field is interesting, so I want it to be my future career that is interesting for me, not boring, and I can do it for a long time.
• What is the support system for women in pursuing and working in STEM fields in Indonesia?
  For the support of women in STEM careers in Indonesia, there are still efforts from various parties, but it is still lacking in my opinion. Not too supportive.
  What is done at the university may not necessarily be used in the industry, which is probably the biggest gap in Indonesia. So, there is a gap that is missing. Between what is in the academy and what is in the industry. Like the lab equipment.
  The support system can be provided by providing adequate lab equipment.
• What are the key success factors in your STEM career?
  Number one, resilience. In my opinion, no matter how smart people are, if they don’t have resilience, they won’t get to where they’re going. Yes.
  In doing anything, boredom is definitely there. But if we really love the field, and we have that resilience, we will definitely come back to it, even though we want to quit, but we will definitely come back to it.
• What tips can you give to women who are pursuing and working in STEM fields?
  Dream high. And never choose the easiest path. If the easiest path is always, many other people can do it You will be replaced easily. Because working with the easy ones cannot produce something good. Especially nowadays, the age of AI, Artificial Intelligence. For children today, always choose the easiest way. Most young people don’t want to find the hard way. Young people now want the shortcut.
  I want to give them tips, find out what they like. Because maybe high school students now are still confused about what they want to do. But actually they can find out what kind of work they will do in the future. Find out what the components are, what they have to do. And they can also visit companies or institutions to find out. Like internships, for summer internships, to find out and gain experience too.

 

“Dream high and never choose the easiest path. If the easiest path, someone else can do it, you will be replaced. Because working with the easiest can’t produce something good.”