WOMEN IN PLANT BIOLOGY

Embracing My Inner Role Model
by Mary Williams
Associate Professor, Harvey Mudd College, mary_williams@hmc.edu

Some of us are of an age at which we can still remember the heated discussions following NBA star Charles Barkley’s denial that he should feel compelled to act as a role model; “I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on a basketball court.” Barkley was widely criticized for not using his position of prominence to inspire and encourage others. As a scientist, I am not paid to be a role model, and I certainly don’t feel qualified to be considered one. But I realize that my professional success and my ability to pursue a career that I love are due, in part, to the “hands-up” I got along the way. I believe that I have a responsibility to pass this encouragement along.

The simplest way for me to encourage young scientists is by being visible as a scientist. I’m a soccer mom, I’m reasonably cool (according to my kids), and I’m a scientist too! Sadly, most kids haven’t met a professional scientist and, as a consequence, have predictable ideas of whom and what we are. Don’t believe me? Check out, at http://ed.fnal.gov/projects/scientists/, what seventh graders think of us and how a short visit to Fermilab changed their perspectives.

Before the visit, Ashley said, “To me, a scientist is bald and has hair coming out of the sides of his head. Scientists live in their own world, and the rest of society puts them there.” After the visit, Andrea said, “Scientists love their jobs. They wake up in the morning and are excited to come to work. When you are a scientist, you come to work ready to explore and learn new things. Things that may change the world someday.”

This Fermilab study demonstrates the power of personal experience—tell a kid you’re a scientist, and you’ll have a remarkable effect on his or her perceptions. If your social network doesn’t currently include children, you can easily connect with them by contacting a local elementary school to volunteer as a science fair judge. (For more on how to contribute to science fairs, see the ASPB Education Forums from November/ December 2002 [www.aspb.org/education/forumnovdec02.cfm] and March/April 2004 [www.aspb.org/newsletter/marapr04/19edforum9.cfm].)

The hardest transition in my career was becoming a parent, and now that I’ve successfully navigated that transition, I try to be highly visible in my role as a scientist–parent. None of my scientific mentors were women, and the men were either childless or had very minor child care responsibilities. Many of the women undergraduate students with whom I interact cite their biggest concern for their future career as the challenge of raising children while working as a scientist.

Who can blame them? We’ve all heard, and often experienced, horror stories about advisers, colleagues, and employers who can’t tolerate the bumps and obstacles that go along with child rearing. I want my students to know that I’m a successful scientist and a successful parent and that they can do it, too. I bring my kids to my job when appropriate. Working at Harvey Mudd, a small residential college, provides lots of these opportunities, such as collegewide picnics. I’m now hearing back from former students who are having children themselves, thanking me for my high-profile parenting.

In my role as a tenured faculty member, I also have the opportunity to shield junior colleagues from criticism. For example, even though my kids are now old enough to be left alone at times, I raise the issue of child care when weekend or evening meetings are scheduled, and I discourage the scheduling of too many meetings during the after-school hours, when kids may need care or chauffeuring.

Because of my many informal actions, I’ve been asked by my department chair and my dean to coordinate formal departmental and collegewide mentoring programs. In this new role, I persuaded my college to enroll all faculty and staff in a backup care program called Work Options Group (WOG; http://workoptionsgroup.com). WOG provides emergency family care solutions to help eliminate the bumps and obstacles that affect parents. (A picture on the website shows a post-it note saying, “Michelle will NOT be attending the conference—couldn’t find backup child care.” We all know how this incident will affect Michelle’s next performance evaluation or letter of reference!) The cost for this benefit is surprisingly small.

The National Academy of Sciences report on women in science (“Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering”; see http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11741) found that “anyone lacking the career and family support traditionally provided by a ‘wife’ is at a serious disadvantage in academe.” I’m hopeful that adopting programs like WOG can help alleviate some of those disadvantages! (Editor’s note: Please see the article on p. 32 of the September/October 2007 issue of the ASPB News [http://www.aspb.org/newsletter/septoct07/12childcare.cfm] outlining ASPB’s reinvigorated annual meeting child care reimbursement program.)

Women have made great strides in reaching equality in science, but we’re not there yet. Old biases remain, frequently involving concerns about our ability to combine motherhood and professionalism. By our visibility and accomplishments, we are silencing our critics, inspiring our successors, and using our power to make their road a little smoother. If those are the consequences of being a role model, then I’m willing to accept them.