As the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory celebrates Women's History Month throughout March, we asked some of our staff members to tell us what Women's History Month means to them. This is the third of a weekly series throughout March.
Name: Ana Marie Datuin
Position: Senior administrative assistant for Environmental Safety & Health (ES&H)
How long at PPPL: Almost five years
Describe your job:
"I was hired as an administrative assistant for Environmental Services back in 2016 mainly because of my previous background in records management. At that time, the goal was to organize the department's quality records where we could develop a system where records are properly organized, catalogued and efficiently archived. I also help the group with their travel requests, reimbursements, training registrations, supplies procurement, meeting schedules and anything else the department needs. I report to Robert Sheneman, the deputy head of ES&H, but recently my role has expanded to include administrative support for other members of Health and Safety staff and the Occupational Medicine Office."
What does Women's History Month mean to you?
"What Women's History Month means to me is that we're being given a platform where for at least a month we can focus on the achievements of women all over the world and what their contributions are to the society in general. There is still no total equality in the workplace and in the society for men and women right now, but at least we know we're moving in the right direction. Every year the data shows that it has been improving. As we celebrate Women's History Month we're creating awareness of the roles of women in the society, the milestones we have achieved, which will empower the next generation to move forward with the examples they have seen. We are basically investing here for the future of the next generations to come.
What does working at PPPL mean to you?
"Working for PPPL, you know that you're doing something good for humanity. We may not realize the importance of fusion energy right now, but it's a contribution towards the future and it's a contribution towards our grandkids. I'm so happy to be working here as I also work with the best people. I may not be a scientist, but I do believe that what I do here, as part of the operations support team, plays an equally significant role in the overall success of this laboratory."
