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October 26, 2007

Symposium offers women biologists early-career support

By Jennifer McNulty (831) 459-4399; jmcnulty@ucsc.edu

When Karen Holl was invited to speak at a four-day symposium for women biologists who are just launching their careers, she figured she had a few stories to tell and some advice to offer.

What she didn't expect was that she would learn as much as the symposium participants. "As a panelist, I went in intending to give advice, but I learned a lot--from other panelists and from the junior women," said Holl, a professor of environmental studies.

The occasion was a first-ever symposium designed to help women scientists navigate the transition from graduate school to tenure-track positions in academia. The gathering was the brainchild of UCSC's Samantha Forde, an assistant research biologist, in collaboration with Joyce Yen, program/research manager of the ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change at the University of Washington (UW), and Claire Horner-Devine, assistant professor of aquatic and fishery sciences at UW. The symposium drew 30 participants from 27 institutions and 19 panelists from around the country, including panelists Holl and Ingrid Parker, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCSC.

With sessions on everything from proposal writing and time management to networking and negotiation, the four-day symposium was tailored to the needs of women who earned their doctorates within the past two to eight years and who do not yet have tenure.

"It's a critical period for women, because we know an equal number of men and women earn Ph.D.s in biology, but only 35 percent of assistant professors of biology are women," said Forde. "Why is that drop-off happening at this stage of their careers?"

Forde, who earned her Ph.D. in biology from UCSC in 2002, knows the challenges of juggling a job, a dual-career household, and parenting responsibilities. "Women often feel isolated in their careers and don't know where to get the information they need," said Forde. "We wanted to bring together women who are at a similar stage of their careers so they could connect."

For Diane Thomson, an assistant professor of biology at Scripps College who earned her Ph.D. in environmental studies from UCSC in 2001, the symposium exceeded her expectations.

"I expected to meet a lot of interesting people and get some good practical guidance, and I did, but I never imagined how much energy and synergy would come out of putting all these smart and accomplished women scientists into the same room for three days," she said. "I walked away inspired by both the mentors and the other participants, and with some new connections that I hope and expect will last for many years."

Thomson, like many junior faculty, said time management is her biggest challenge. "This job involves living a Yogi Berra quote," she said. "About 70 percent of what I do is teaching, 40 percent is research, 20 percent is mentoring, and 20 percent is service. Then I try and fit in the rest of my life. By comparison, Yogi Berra said playing for the Yankees required giving 110 percent."

Tips included trying to chip away at projects each day instead of waiting for "free days" that never seem to materialize, prioritizing tasks, and putting more time into maintaining connections with other junior faculty to reduce feelings of isolation. Other advice included encouraging women to call on their NSF program officers when they're preparing proposals rather than trying to navigate the process alone, learning to ask for what they want and need, and hiring a housekeeper ("Women sometimes need permission to do that," said Forde).

One panelist, Chris Loving of Leadership Institute for Tomorrow (LIFT), used terms familiar to biologists when he emphasized that how one manages the time between "stimulus and response" is the most critical variable, whether the realm is childrearing or career decisions.

"There was an amazing sense of community that developed among junior and senior women," said Forde, who moderated each panel discussion with her co-organizers.

Liba Pejchar, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology who earned her Ph.D. in environmental studies from UCSC in 2004, welcomed the opportunity to interact with her peers, as well as with senior women biologists.

"At conferences, it's often intimidating to speak with senior women who could be potential mentors because they're surrounded by other people, and you worry about occupying their time," she said. "But we were all there for the same purpose and there was so much interaction on many different levels. I feel as if I've joined a strong social and support network."

Although participants focused on the positive, one common theme that emerged was the experience of being interrupted and "talked over" by senior men during department meetings, said Forde.

"We talked about how we need to say, 'Wait, I'm not done speaking,' " reported Forde. "And I've already gotten an e-mail from one participant who tried it and said it worked. She didn't get interrupted again."

The Women Evolving Biological Sciences (WEBS) symposium took place at the Pack Forest Conference Center near Seattle. It was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation's ADVANCE Program, which is focused on increasing the participation and advancement of women faculty in science and engineering, with contributions from the UC Office of the President and the UCSC Chancellor's Office. Future symposia are planned for 2008 and 2009.

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