The reality is very different and great
To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Covestro scientist Catherine Lövenich wrote down what excites her about science.
At school I loved maths, sciences and languages and studying chemistry with an ERASMUS year abroad allowed me to combine these interests. At Covestro the same is true. Although the stereotype may still exist that scientists tend to work in isolation in labs, the reality is very different and great for anyone with an interest in a broad range of topics and who enjoys working with people. Science is always team-work.
At Covestro I collaborate with colleagues from a huge range of departments and with a huge range of backgrounds in my daily work: from the scientists and technicians in the labs to sales colleagues, from the process engineers to IT specialists, from HR and communication specialists to marketing and procurement experts. I work externally with partners in consortia and internally with colleagues from all over the world.
If you are creative, open and able to work in a structured fashion then science is a great direction to go in. The opportunities are very diverse and within the course of a career there is the chance to continuously develop and learn, both at the scientific and personal level. There is also the chance to positively influence trends impacting all of us in our daily lives, such as industrial greenhouse gas emissions and the problems arising from the incorrect disposal of plastic waste, which it is why it is great to be working on chemical recycling and other sustainability topics at Covestro.