her kind of science
by Tiffany Heady

even in 'combat physics,' women are mastering science. but why aren't there more?

aurie McNeil is not your typical physicist, or is she? With her wide smile, bright eyes, and witty personality, this tenured professor of almost 19 years has strong opinions as to why women scientists are not pursuing academics. It starts with an image problem.

"In this society we don't have a good image of scientists. We think that science, particularly physics, is done by strange creatures from another planet." Young women are socialized to value things like close friendships and social causes, she says. "In our society that is viewed to be incompatible with being a scientist. Our stereotype of a scientist is that it's a man with lousy people skills who just wants to hide in his laboratory all by himself."

.: Physicist Laurie McNeil. Photo by Steve Exum; click to enlarge. :.

There is a smattering of truth in the stereotype, and it's no doubt driven in part by the grueling trek to tenure spent writing grants and papers, teaching, conducting research, lecturing nationwide, and attending conferences. But McNeil says that getting tenure is just the beginning of what she describes as the "ethos of research."

"The whole ethos, in what we call combat physics, is that you are in there slamming away at the universe sixty hours a week, and if you can't happen to remember your children's names, well, that's okay," McNeil says.

While stereotypes and social conditioning may send the message that women shouldn't pursue science, seeing few tenured female professors teaching and conducting research sends the message that women don't pursue science. "It absolutely helps for women to actually see women who are going into academics and making it all work. It's not enough to simply say, 'you can do it,'" McNeil says.

omen scientists often cite good mentoring as one reason they chose to pursue an academic career. McNeil, for example, points to Millie Dresselhaus, a world-renowned physicist at MIT. "I worked with Millie for a number of years, and that had a profound influence on my career," McNeil says. Mentors help solve practical problems in the lab, but they can also help advance the careers of young women scientists by putting their names forward within the scientific community.

.: Jenny Ting, microbiology and Immunology, with graduate student Leigh White. Women say good mentors led them into science. Photo by Greg Plachta; click to enlarge. :.

But good mentors don't have to be women, they just have to be good. Marcey Waters, assistant professor of chemistry, completed both her graduate and post graduate work with male advisors and credits them with building her confidence and advancing her career. She notes that she was sure to choose people she felt she could learn from and get along with. "I didn't just go for the biggest name," Waters says.

Because mentoring generally takes a back seat to research, it can be difficult to get a predominately male faculty to understand the importance of mentoring young women scientists. "It's hard to mentor someone who is different from you in significant ways, even if you may want to," McNeil says. "Some men tend to feel that they came up entirely by their own ability. They didn't need any help, so why do all these other people need help? In fact they did get lots of help; they just don't necessarily recognize the forms in which it came. Like simply having people pay attention to you," McNeil says with a grin.

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