In this issue:
Happy 70th Anniversary
The WCC 70th anniversary started off with a reception and luncheon at the fall ACS national meeting in Las Vegas, September 7-11, 1997. At the prelunch reception, students from St. Mary's College of Notre Dame, Indiana, displayed posters exploring the lives of famous women chemists. Also on display was the sumptuous anniversary cake that was to be served for dessert. This longer-than-usual reception was a big hit with the 212 attendees who had a chance to meet and greet at a leisurely pace.
Among those attending this presidential event were past and present ACS officials, including the three women past presidents of the society, WCC travel award winners, and the First Lady of Nevada, Sandy Miller. Also in attendance were representatives of various related scientific organizations, internal and external to the ACS, and many WCC supporters. This record crowd made the WCC 70th anniversary luncheon a big success, and we would like to thank everyone who shared it with us.
In a short welcome, Miller said she was flattered to be speaking to the WCC and guests. She is a strong supporter of science education and reminded us that a large portion of proceeds from all those Las Vegas slot machines go to educating young Nevadans. In addition, she promoted the Desert Research Institute, which bestows the Nevada Medal for outstanding scientific, engineering, and technical achievements that contribute to improved understanding of our global environment. More information on this award and the Desert Research Institute can be found on the Internet at http://www.dri.edu.
While luncheon attendees were eating ginger chicken, ACS President Paul Anderson introduced the commemorative video "Women Chemists Committee: A Catalyst for Change," a synopsis of the history of WCC. Following the video, Anderson challenged WCC to produce additional features describing the lives and accomplishments of individual women chemists. In addition to the historical contributions women have made to science, Anderson noted specific examples of recent work worthy of recognition. Further information about the video will be found in future issues of the WCC newsletter.
The guest speaker was Mary L. Good, 1997 Priestley Medalist, who discussed "Why 'Where We Have Been' Has a Lot To Do with Where We Are Going." Good's theme was that a large number of women who have been dissuaded from entering careers in academia have instead performed great feats in biotechnology and other areas of industry or government. Despite these phenomenal contributions, academia has not progressed to encouraging women to participate. More support needs to be given to universities in this area, and now is the time to promote women in academe because many professors will be retiring within the next 10 years. Good pointed out that many more women are top in their fields now, as compared with 20 years ago; but further changes are still required to balance the equation. Suggestions for continuing to encourage women to choose and keep scientific careers included promoting today's female entrepreneurs as "human" role models, regarded not just for what they have done, but also for who they are. Good applauded efforts toward encouraging girls to become interested in science, including the technology patch offered by the Girl Scouts of America. She also mentioned that this year is the 25th anniversary of Title IX, which allows women to play competitive college sports. This breakthrough not only paved the way for women to go to college on athletic scholarships, but is one more example that women can accomplish anything.
In conclusion, Good reminded the group that although great strides have been made, the general inequality in the number of women with careers in the sciences persists. She concluded by saying that when two women are members of a business team, where only one was before, some people see this as a 100% increase, but really there are still only two women. -Amber Hinkle
ACS President Paul Anderson, WCC Chair Christina Bodurow, and First Lady of Nevada Sandy Miller at luncheon celebration
From the Chair
The Women Chemists Committee recognized the 70th anniversary of its founding at the Las Vegas meeting. ACS President Paul Anderson sponsored a Presidential Event at the Women Chemists luncheon, where more than 200 ACS colleagues gathered to hear an address from Mary Good and see a video that chronicled the evolution of the Women's Service Committee to its current status as an important partner and contributor to ACS. In addition to the luncheon and executive and open sessions, WCC also sponsored its regular Women in Industry breakfast, which focused on career development issues and mentoring programs.
WCC remains committed to being leaders in the recruitment, development, and recognition of women in the chemical sciences. The WCC Travel Awards program is in its ninth year, sponsoring about 25 awards per year to young women chemists who require funding to enable them to attend scientific meetings to present their research results. This year, WCC was honored to be chosen to sponsor the Dr. Bowen Liu Scholarship award. Recently deceased, Bowen Liu requested that all contributions in his honor be directed toward a young woman studying for a Ph.D. in chemistry. WCC will sponsor the competition to identify this award winner, and the recipient will be announced at the spring ACS meeting in Dallas.
WCC successfully implemented a midcareer career development workshop, which received positive feedback. This workshop is under consideration for inclusion in the programs offered by the ACS Career Services Office. The next focus will be in the area of mentoring, and WCC will be networking with many other organizations' successful mentoring initiatives.
This year's ACS awards processes were positively affected by WCC's work to generate more diverse pools of candidates. This effort to diversify the pools of candidates, both judging and receiving, will create greater balance in the recognition of women's contributions to chemistry. The Women Chemists Database is being supported by ACS, and a test version will be available soon.
Several special projects have made substantial progress. The initiative to foster the founding of local WCCs has been integrated into local section activities. WCC will continue to sponsor opportunities for networking and sharing of experiences for these local WCCs at national meetings. Check out the WCC home page for more information about these and all WCC programs.
The 1998 chair of WCC is Frankie Wood-Black. We recognize the substantial contributions of
two three-term WCC members, Dee Casteel and Gunda Georg, as they leave the committee.
Many thanks for their commitment and hard work. -Chris Bodurow
Past chairs of the WCC gather at the 70th anniversary celebration
Dr. Bowen Liu Memorial Award
The Women Chemists Committee is pleased to announce that we will present the Dr. Bowen Liu Memorial Award at the WCC luncheon in Dallas on March 31, 1998. This one-time graduate scholarship provides seed money to facilitate the career of an outstanding woman student in the early stages of graduate study in the field of physical chemistry.
Liu received a bachelor's degree from Howard Payne University, Brownwood, Texas; a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Employed by IBM, Liu's research was in the field of quantum chemistry. A donor to the Liu Memorial, Kate P. Kirby of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said, "Bowen Liu was an ardent supporter of women's advancement and recognition in the field of quantum chemistry." Liu's family designated the ACS Women Chemists Committee as recipient of the memorial.
Large gifts from Liu's family and gifts from his colleagues and friends, along with gifts from colleagues of Jurgen Hinze, Liu's graduate professor at the University of Chicago, yielded a scholarship fund of $7000. The money will be awarded to a graduate student in physical chemistry and is intended to be used at her discretion for tuition, fees, books, research, or personal expenses needed to facilitate her graduate studies.
Applications and supporting documents are due at ACS by December 31, 1997. Applicants will be notified of the results by February 15, 1998, and the scholarship winner will be invited to attend the ACS meeting in Dallas to receive the award.
For additional information and a scholarship application form, contact Cheryl Brown, WCC Staff
Liaison, American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036;
800-227-5558, ext. 6022; e-mail: c_brown@acs.org. See also our homepage on the Dr. Bowen Liu Award.
Book Review: Equity in Mathematics and Science Education
Nancy Kreinberg and Ellen Wahl, Eds. American Association for the Advancement of Science: Washington, DC, 1997. ISBN 0-87168-604-X
In April 1996, a conference was held by the Council of Chief State School Officers on "Ensuring Equitable Excellent Education." Several conference participants, along with other leading reformers of science and math education, contributed short essays, which became the book Thoughts and Deeds: Equity in Mathematics and Science Education for pre-college students.
The authors first attempt to define equity in science and math education. Their comments arise from interactional encounters, as groups of educators have convened over the past several years to extend the definition beyond equal facilities and educational opportunities through equal learning potential to equal actual achievement and outcomes. It is not a matter of "sameness," where every student receives the same instruction and materials, but an issue of "fairness," where the student's learning style helps determine the instructional method. Various authors address this issue in light of under represented populations in science and math, including girls, some ethnic minorities, poor students, and disabled students.
Several points broke new ground, at least for me-for example, "The very quality of science depends on diversity"-because the questions that stimulate the advancement of science arise out of the perspective of the scientist. Thus, the breadth of understanding that will be attained and the speed at which it is obtained are limited if the researchers are all cut from the same cloth.
Speaking stereotypically, I believe that girl students are more interested in process-why something is happening and why it is important-and tend to explore large numbers of variables by observing what is happening in a context. This kind of observational scientific method was practiced by the Nobel Prize-winning botanist Barbara McClintock, who "listened" to corn plants and tried to observe the environment from the corn's perspective. This approach differs from the more traditional "male" scientific method that emphasizes variable control and objectivity.
Thus, not only the framework within which a scientist deliberates, but the types of questions that
are asked-which absolutely determine the types of answers that are obtained-are affected by the
diversity of the scientist population. -Lissa Dulany
Las Vegas Women in Industry Breakfast
About 50 women and men met for breakfast and a discussion on networking in the industrial sector. The attendees came up with a broad, inclusive definition of networking. It is not just for job hunting but includes developing contacts that can expand one's technical skills, career, and professional development.
Several journal articles were available as take-home references about networking skills. During the discussion, participants were encouraged to prepare for networking by developing a personal script (the mental card file). The script could include details about one's current position and specific questions focused on the contact person. It is important to know (or learn) something about the contact and to ask clear, direct questions. One should be respectful of the contact's time and be clear about the purpose of the contact while showing an interest in the person's work or profession.
Participants were encouraged to try networking within the breakfast group and then were launched into the remainder of the national meeting, prepared and enthusiastic to meet new people and expand their contacts within ACS and their chemical professions.
At the ACS meeting in Dallas, Corporation Associates and the WCC will co-host a combined
breakfast for industrial chemists. Keep your eyes open for a WCC road map of the Dallas
meeting, which will detail this event and others that are sponsored or cosponsored by WCC or are
of interest to women chemists. -Lissa Dulany
News from Local WCCs
The Saint Louis WCC will be participating in the local section's celebration of National Chemistry Week at an "Expo" at the Saint Louis Science Center on November 8. They will run hands-on demonstrations and hand out literature on women chemists. Contact Leah O'Brien, lobrien@siue.edu.
On June 20, Detroit WCC members participated in a "Girls in Science" workshop for middle school girls at Madonna University. They called their presentation "There Is More to Chemistry than Chemistry." ACS's Public Outreach office and "Kids & Chemistry" program contributed materials for the girls who attended. Contact Pat Herrel, Herrelp@basf.com for information.
A technical seminar on vibrational spectroscopy by Jeanette Grasselli Brown was cosponsored by the Dayton WCC. Contact DeLyle Eastwood, eastwoo@afit.af.mil.
The Southern California WCC organized a luncheon at the Western Regional Meeting in Irvine. The event held on October 22, was cosponsored by the Orange County WCC and San Gorgonio Local Section. A panel of women trained as chemists (an environmentalist, an anthropologist, a science writer, and an industrial researcher) discussed alternatives and diversity in career paths. Contact Katherine Kantardjieff, kkant@doc.fullerton.edu.
The inaugural meeting of ACS Women in Chemistry of the Michigan State University Section was a networking social event on September 17. Fall meeting topics include "What Is a Ph.D.?" and "Behavioral Science-Body Language with Respect to Gender." Contact Evy Jackson, ejackson@argus.cem.msu.edu.
On November 24, the Metro Women Chemists of the North Jersey and New York sections are cosponsoring a meeting with the New York Academy of Scientists' Section of Women in Science, the Chinese American Chemical Society, and the North Jersey Younger Chemists Committee. Entitled "Your Career in Chemistry: Creating Constants out of Change," the program will feature talks by Corinne Marasco, ACS Career Services Office, and Dr. Norman N. Li, a representative of the industrial sector. Contact Maureen Chan, mgchan@msn.com, or Nancy Tooney, ntooney@duke.poly.edu.
Other local sections with active WCCs include San Diego, Los Padres, California, Northern California (no e-mail address), California, Central North Carolina , and Columbus, Ohio.
If you are interested in starting a Women Chemists Committee in your local section, contact
Cheryl Brown at the ACS for a helpful brochure (800-227-5558, ext. 6022, or c_brown@acs.org)
or Mary Singleton for information (510-462-1496 or maryhas@juno.com).
Symposium in Dallas
The Division of Chemical Technicians and WCC announce the symposium, "Women Chemists:
Mentoring for Career Growth and a Balance between Work and Home," to be presented at the
1998 spring ACS meeting in Dallas, Tuesday, March 31, 1998. Invited speakers will focus on the
topics of balancing a professional and personal life and how and where to find a mentor. The list
of invited speakers includes Geraldine Richmond, Janet Osteryoung, Margaret Cavanaugh, Helen
Free, Nancy Ryan Gray, Connie Murphy, Robert Peoples, Pamela Percha, Nina Roscher, and
Christina Bodurow. Contact Ann Marie Sorce, Eastman Kodak Company, Building 34, Kodak
Park, Rochester, NY 14652-3708; 716-722-5895, fax 716-722-3952.
| Onie H. Adams |
Gertrude G. Asrow |
Theresa Backman |
| Edith C. Bauersfeld |
Claire Bluestein |
Mary F. Brookfield |
| Evalyn B. Brower |
Patricia L. Brown |
Mary T. Burgess |
| Catherine L. Butler |
Anne Buzzell |
Sarah M. Camiolo |
| Helen C. Childs |
Winifred B. Corniea |
Shirley K. Cox |
| Jane M. Cram |
Clara D. Craver |
Vidabelle O. Crinio |
| Muriel Dahlgard |
Estaleta Dale |
Betty Daskin |
| Gladys Q. Dawson |
Margaret G. Driver |
Rose Marie R. Flynn |
| Mary E. Forman |
Irene Fraley |
Hanna Friedenstein |
| Esther B. Garber |
Betty J. Gibbins |
Delta W. Gier |
| Esther C. Glendinning |
Clara G. Goldbeck |
Genoveva Gonzalez |
| Melba A. Grafius |
Margaret H. Graham |
June R. Gray |
| Ruth Grimm |
Beatrice E. Gushee |
Vela L. Gutierrez |
| Mary V. Hannigan |
Martha P. Hargie |
Carolyn J. Hull |
| Bettina B. Jackson |
Patricia C. Jackson |
Mary S. Jaffe |
| Ruth P. Jaffe |
Madeleine M. Joulli |
Lois N. Kauder |
| Marie P. Kautsky |
M. Joan Kempel |
Edith L. Kirschner |
| Eleanor G. Kuhn Elkhart |
Stephanie L. Kwolek |
B. W. Lewis |
| Marjorie H. Marschall |
Cathryn G. McEwen |
Virginia C. Menikheim |
| Mary R. Menke |
Norma B. Moran |
Julia E. Morgan |
| Estella K. Mysels |
Margie M. Nicholson |
Mary J. Oestmann |
| Dorothy H. Oliver |
Marjorie H. Ottenberg |
Elizabeth K. Patterson |
| Barbara H. Pernal |
Gladys H. Pigman |
Dorothy M. Pinkert |
| Dorothy J. Pollock |
Pearl L. Prine |
Helen C. Printy |
| Gertrude G. Rabkin |
Virginia C. Reaves |
Mary V. Reed |
| Sarah N. Rhoads |
Agatha S. Rider |
Dolores M. Rix |
| Luz D. Rodriguez |
Adele Rozek |
Charlotte S. Russell |
| Judith A. Schwan |
T. C. Schwan |
Francine Schwarzkopf |
| Katherine G. Sloman |
Blanche H. Spitzer |
Rhoda B. Stasiak |
| Sarah J. Stephens |
Roberta A. Stewart |
Violet R. Strahler |
| Martha B. Thomas |
Kathryn W. Torgeson |
Mildred S. Trask |
| Vera R. Usdin |
E. I. Valyi |
Erma S. Vanderzant |
| Mary Veronica |
Mildred S. Vigler |
Elizabeth F. Ware |
| Anna M. Williams |
Harriet R. Williams |
Katherine W. Wilson |
| Penina Wollman |
The WCC has announced the recipients of travel awards for covering expenses associated with attending scientific meetings to be held between July 1 and December 31, 1997. The awards are funded by Eli Lilly & Co., Hoechst Celanese, and the ACS Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry. The recipients are:
The Intellectual Property Owners Association presented National Inventor of the Year Awards to
two groups of scientists: the group from Merck & Co., which included M. Katherine Holloway,
and another group from Abbott Laboratories, which included Chen Zhao. The National Academy
of Sciences has elected to membership Syliva T. Ceyer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
and Linda L. Randall, Washington State University.
Women Gather at Great Lakes Regional Meeting
Approximately 45 women and several men gathered for dinner at Loyola University in Chicago
during the ACS Great Lakes Regional Meeting in May. Jeffrey Mallow, professor of physics at
Loyola, spoke about "Science Anxiety and Gender." Mallow shared the results of his research
carried out in Europe and the United States. The dinner was organized jointly by the Aurum
Iodide chapter of Iota Sigma Pi and WCC.
Patent Handbook
What Every Chemist Should Know About Patents is an introduction to the essentials of patents
and patenting procedures. Copies are available for $2.00 each. Requests, including prepayment to
the American Chemical Society, should be sent to American Chemical Society, P.O. Box 57136,
West End Station, Washington, DC 20037.
Women in Technology International Hall of Fame
Women in Technology International is soliciting nominations for their Hall of Fame. Nomination
forms may be found at their Web site http://www.witi.org; nominations are due by the second
week of December 1997.
Happy Birthday WCC
I hope you all got a chance to read the wonderful tribute by Madeleine Jacobs in the September 15, 1997, issue of C&EN. Thanks to all who participated in the 70th anniversary celebration and to all who have made it possible for women to succeed in chemistry.
For a copy of the brochure, contact ACS staff liaison, Cheryl Brown (800-227-5558, x6022) or
e-mail c_brown@acs.org.