women in the sciences - Adelphi University News and Events

thesciencesShantell Adams ’11, M.S.’13, (anticipated) mechanicalengineering,University ofPennsylvaniaAlyssa Grieco ’12,M.S. ’14 (anticipated),architectural historicpreservation, ColumbiaUniversityMAY 1The NuclearMagnetic ResonanceSpectrometer (NMR)was delivered tothe Department ofChemistry. Fundedin part by donors,including CarolAmmon, M.B.A.‘79, ‘10 (Hon.) andAdelphi ProfessorEmeritus Sung Moon,the NMR providesstudents with handsontraining usingthis important tool toanalyze the structure,interaction andunderlying forces ofmolecules.Mary Klement ’71, M.S.’73, former programmanager and proposalleader at NorthropGrummanBuilding aBetter Future forWomen in Physicsand EngineeringBy Ela SchwartzThe hit TV series The Big Bang Theory follows the adventures andmisadventures of three physicists and an engineer. All four are highlyintelligent, socially inept—and male. The main female cast member is theiropposite, a beautiful, socially savvy waitress and aspiring actress whoseintellectual pursuits run to pop culture rather than particle accelerators.While the show can be applauded for bringing nerd culture to the masses,it also reflects that there’s a dearth of women in physics and engineering:According to the American Institute of Physics, women earn just 21 percentof bachelor’s degrees and 17 percent of Ph.D.s in their field, and a 2009report by the National Science Foundation puts undergraduate femaleenrollment for engineering at a scant 17.7 percent.Does The Big Bang Theory reflect a hard fact that physicists and engineersprefer a woman’s role to be that of playing beauty to the guy geeks? Notaccording to the Adelphi female physics alumni interviewed. Just as BigBang evolved to add two woman scientists (one of whom is the only castmember to actually have a Ph.D. in a science in real life), our alumni, whohave gone on to earn or pursue advanced degrees, are optimistic thatwomen will continue to make inroads in physics and engineering.Taking a problem-solving approach, we presented these alumni withsome current theories regarding the shortage of women in physics andengineering and asked them to offer possible solutions.Problem: Math and scienceattracts more young boys thangirls.Solution: Encourage girls toexplore the sciences and providefemale role models.In 2005 Lawrence Summers, then presidentof Harvard University, suggested that thelack of girls pursuing science could be due toneurobiological factors. What followed was aflurry of controversy. Is it enough to steer girlsto blocks and construction sets rather thandolls and dress-up? Or do boys possess bettermathematical and spatial skills while girls’brains are wired for language and socialization?There is no lack of analytical abilities in ourphysics alumni. Even as little girls you could findthem fixing cars, solving puzzles or taking apartlocks and mechanical devices. By high school,they’d already excelled in math and science andwere hooked on using their skills to come upwith innovative ways to solve problems.“We need to encourage girls, and get themwhile they’re young,” Mary Klement ’71, M.S.’73, said. One way to do this is to bring femaleengineers—like herself—into the schools toshow girls what engineers and physicists do.She tells about the time she spoke to highschool students about her career at NorthropGrumman and her work as program managerfor such projects as the Global Hawk, ahighly sophisticated intelligence-surveillancereconnaissanceunmanned air vehicle. Afterher talk, the young women lined up to get herautograph.Malika Grayson ’11 is researching variableblade geometry to optimize wind powerso that it can be obtained at lower speeds.Pamela Kambanis ’12 is interested in structuralengineering projects such as large-scale bridgesand buildings. Shantell Adams ’11 would like6 | spring 2013

Pamela Kambanis ’12,, B.S. ’13,M.S. ’14, (anticipated), civilengineering, Columbia UniversitythesciencesMalikaGrayson ’11,M.S. ’14, Ph.D.’15 (anticipated), mechanicalengineering, Cornell Universityto focus on energy storage and renewableenergy.All three point out that girls—andall students, for that matter—maybe inspired by how science canbenefit humanity. Ms. Adams calls it“engineering a better world” and hopesher degree concentration in heat transferand fluid mechanics will translate intoharnessing solar, wind and tidal energyto decrease dependence on nonrenewablesources.Students may also be intrigued withhow science can be applied to the arts.Alyssa Grieco ’12 said that her physicsbackground has proven to be “incrediblyhelpful” in her master’s program inarchitectural historic preservation andthat her classmates often turn to her foradvice on construction or materials.Problem: Female degreecandidates don’t alwaysstick with their programs.Solution: Create an inclusiveatmosphere and offersupport.Keeping up with a physics or engineeringprogram is challenging for any student,male or female. Universities can takesteps to ensure that women don’t leavebecause they feel like the only girl in thecomic-book store. Ms. Grayson said,“I’m currently the only female in my lab.It can be intimidating. I sometimes feellike I have to work harder than everyoneelse to prove myself.”Other women report more positiveexperiences. Ms. Kambanis relatedhow she participated in a group projectwhere she was the only girl on herteam. “The boys I worked with didn’ttreat me any differently. I think thisgeneration of young men doesn’t havethe misconceptions the older one had.”Ms. Adams hasmade plenty ofmale friends as agraduate studentat the Universityof Pennsylvania.“I found it wasn’tabout who I wasor how I looked, but about what skill set Ihad,” she said.“I found out it wasn’t aboutwho I was or how I looked,but about what skill set I had.”Sean Bentley, Ph.D., associate professor,noted that the Adelphi physicsdepartment is almost 30 percent female,as opposed to about 10–15 percenton average in other universities, withroughly 10 physics majors in eachgraduating class. The small number ofstudents and open-door policy of facultymembers create a family environment forstudents who share the same interests.“They’re into the same things, like videogames, solving puzzles and other geekystuff,” Dr. Bentley said.When Ms. Adams entered Adelphi as atransfer student, she said her classmateswere welcoming. “I met students fromChina, Mexico, Trinidad, Haiti andNepal. Everyone treated each other thesame and we had so much fun together.”“Adelphi was definitely the best threeyears of my life,” Ms. Grayson added.“Yes, there was a heavy workload, butbecause Adelphi is also an artsy school,with theatre and music, I found thatbalance, which I see a lot of engineeringstudents lack. “Problem: Once established,women leave their fields athigher rates than men.Solution: seek support andadvice of female mentors.According to a study by the NationalScience Board’s Science and EngineeringIndicators 2012, 16.1 percent of womenin the sciences and engineering betweenages 30 and 55 were out of the labormarket, compared to 2.2 percent ofmen. The study found women’s salariesto be about 18 percent lower than thoseof men at comparable levels, and morewomen identified family as a reason toleave the field: 69 percent as opposed to15 percent of the men.Joining an organization for womenoffers opportunities to find support andadvice. These groups link physicists andengineers, from budding elementaryschool scientists to seasoned professionals.Ms. Grayson is a graduate mentor forthe Society for Women Engineers. Ms.Adams is a fundraising co-chair for theNational Society of Black Engineers andmentors elementary and high schoolstudents.Ms. Klement further supports physicsmajors through the Mary Ann BarraccoKlement Endowed Fund for PhysicsResearch, which will enhance faculty andstudent research and scholarships in thephysics department.JUNE 7Adelphi sciencealums and facultygathered for acocktail reception,Legends: Honoringthe Sciences, at LongIsland’s AllegriaHotel. The event washeld to honor severallegendary professorsfrom the College ofArts and Sciences.Faculty hosts forthe event includedSean Bentley, Ph.D.,physics; LawrenceHobbie, Ph.D.,biology; and JosephLandesberg, Ph.D.,chemistry. For moreinformation aboutAdelphi’s annualLegends event, visitalumni.adelphi.edu/events.adelphi university college of arts AND sciences spring 2013 | 7