Data, Stories, and Real Impact: Tonya Blowers Calls for Action at OWSD General Assembly

As part of the 7th General Assembly of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), November 3-7, OWSD Director Tonya Blowers delivered her plenary address to a packed conference hall and urged delegates attending the Third Interregional Dialogue on Education and Development to rethink the way they use data; not as static numbers on a screen, but as powerful stories that can drive policy and change lives.

Blowers shared a series of slides. "You can see the numbers on the screen,” she said. “But data isn’t just numbers; it’s also stories. Data is evidence. But evidence on its own isn’t enough. It needs to be communicated.”

Blowers went on to describe the persistent challenge of bridging the gap between scientists and policymakers, noting that scientists often struggle to translate their findings into policy terms, while policymakers rarely have the time to fully understand scientific work. 

“At OWSD, we’ve been trying to revitalize data, to make it speak, to make it move people,” she said. “Our goal is to use both numbers and narratives to show the real impact of our projects and investments in women scientists.”

National chapters are ...  networks of highly educated women, most with postgraduate degrees, who are leading efforts to advance women in science in their regions.

Blowers then unveiled OWSD’s redesigned website, which uses interactive visualizations to highlight OWSD's 58 national chapters and more than 11,000 members worldwide. Using the simple and engaging interactive interface, visitors can explore each region in detail from the flourishing national chapters, to individual member data, chapter activities, and institutional collaborations.

“National chapters are remarkable communities,” Blowers said. “They are networks of highly educated women, most with postgraduate degrees, who are leading efforts to advance women in science in their regions.”

To illustrate her point, Blowers then invited OWSD members in the audience to stand. As dozens of women across the hall rose to their feet, the message became clear: the numbers translate into reality. Real change, real impact.

Through our networks, data becomes more than numbers — it becomes a living story of change.

Acknowledging that data can sometimes seem abstract or overwhelming, she emphasized the need for collaboration and storytelling. “Numbers are essential,” she said, “but they’re difficult to gather and even harder to present meaningfully. Through our networks, data becomes more than numbers — it becomes a living story of change.”