WiSRR June 2001 Meeting

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We were happy to have Elga Wasserman as a guest speaker at the WiSRR meeting at the 15th Annual APSS Meeting in Chicago.  Dr. Wasserman earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1949 from Harvard University and her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1976.  She is the author of The Door in the Dream published in 2000 by National Academy Press. Dr. Wasserman's book is a collection of interviews and written responses to questions she asked of women who had been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.  In Dr. Wasserman's talk she shared information from her book about the frequency of women making careers in the sciences; a sampling of responses to her questions; and the women scientists' beliefs about how being female had affected their careers.  A listing of the common choices, strategies and attitudes shared by the very accomplished scientists described in The Door in the Dream provided an optimistic conclusion to a captivating talk. The Chicago skyline on a beautiful summer day. During her talk, Dr. Wasserman noted that women are underrepresented in the sciences.  when she completed her data collection in 1996, there were 1600 natural scientists in the National Academy of Sciences and 86 of them were women.  Similarly, the proportion of tenured women faculty at American colleges and universities is currently far below the numbers that would be expected based on the number of available female doctorates. Dr. Wasserman then pointed out that although the reason that women are underrepresented in the sciences is likely the result of many factors, the qualities that contributed to the success of the women interviewed were clear.  Successful women were persistent.  They were able to tune out negative messages.  They were resilient.  They were willing to take risks.  They were comfortable with collaboration.  They worked hard and were disciplined.  They were passionate about their science and answering their questions.  They had supportive mentors.  When they were married, they had a very supportive spouse.  When they had children, they had excellent child care arrangements.  They had adequate financial resources.  They understood that they couldn't do everything. Following the talk, the attendees enjoyed a reception and the opportunity to talk directly with Dr. Wasserman. The reception at the WiSRR 2001 meeting. The WiSRR co-chairs with Dr. Elga Wasserman. The organization of the 2001 meeting of the WiSRR was the result of the work of three co-chairs: Susan Labyak, Jodi Mindell, and Amy Wolfson (pictured with Dr. Wasserman).  Susan, Jodi, and Amy devoted their time and effort in selecting a speaker and organizing the meeting.  Thanks also to the generous financial support of Wyeth-Ayerst and the Sonata Team who sponsored the WiSRR meeting and reception.