BEING A woman does not mean you can't enter areas of science dominated by men. If you work hard anything was possible, a former rocket scientist from China said.
Cindy Liu was in the first generation of the team that launched China's communication satellite programme from 1982 to 1986 and was involved in launching three rockets.
She talked about women's participation in space research yesterday with more than 100 secondary school students.
She told a Science Week event in Dublin yesterday about her experiences of working in China's space programme.
She told the all-female audience that gender shouldn't prevent them entering the traditionally male-dominated field. "Science is very important, and mathematics. If you work hard enough you can do anything. Girls can do exactly as good as boys and sometimes better," she said.
"I graduated in 1982 and we had no choice for work. The government just told you 'this is your job'," said Dr Liu, who now lectures in Dublin Institute of Technology's school of computing.
"We had to do some military training and after four months we were supposedly army officers, because the launch centre [ in Xi Chang] was still owned by the military."
The talk used a variety of launch pictures which helped illustrate the process behind sending a rocket into space. The students were shown photographs of the control room inside which Dr Liu herself would have worked, where she helped chart the course of the rockets once launched.
They were shown a picture of the man labelled "Goldfinger" by the launch centre staff because he was the employee charged with pressing the button for take-off.
"I still regard that 3½ years as the best, best time of my life so far," she said.
The presentation did not focus solely on science. Dr Liu has returned often to Xi Chang in recent years and used a selection of family holiday photographs to explain the culture of the region.
"In Ireland, we are all one nation, but in China it is a country of 56 nations," she said. "One nation is called the Yi who live in Xi Chang. It is quite an ancient city with lots of history. Even though a lot of the streets are very pretty, the people can be living in really very poor conditions."
WHAT'S ON FINAL DAYS
TODAY
Limerick Festival of Science:University of Limerick is hosting an open day with lots of fun science activities suitable for all the family. 11am-3pm. Entry is free.
Teddy Bear Tour:Learn more about animals that are usually made into cuddly toys. Don't forget to bring your own favourite teddy bear. Natural Museum of Ireland, 3-4pm. Entry is free.
TOMORROW
Sligo Birdwatch:Join the annual outing to see the Brent Geese at Lissadell. Remember a packed lunch and suitable clothing. Meeting at Cartron village car park, at noon.
Magic Chemistry Show:PharmaChemical Ireland show with Declan Kennedy at Discovery science festival. Cork City Hall 3.30pm. Entry is free.