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Women Scientists Today DOCUMENT RESUME ED 191 669 SE 031 651, AUTHOR Menard, Sharon L. TITLE How High the Sky? How Far the MoOn? WomenScientists Today - An Educational Program for Girlsand Women in Math and Science, Lafayette, Colorado. INSTITUTION Office of Education (DHEW): Washington,D.C. Women's Educational Equity Act Program. PUB DATE 80 NOTE 148p.: Not available in hard copy ddeto copyright restrictions. Four audiocassette tapes availablefrom the ERIC Clearinghouse for Science,Mathematics, and EnvironWental Education, The Ohio State University, 1200 Chambers Rd,, 3rd Floor, Columbus,OH 4.3212 (on loan). AVAILABLE FRCM Education Development Center, EDC/WEEAP. W.Stribution: Center, 39 Chapel St., Newton, MA 0216-0 (print- material $3.00, four audiotape cassettes$7.00; Make becks payable to Education Development Center)-_ EDRS PRICE ra01,. Plus Postage. PC Not Available fromEDRS.' DESCRIPTORS *Career AwarenesS: EleMentary Secondary Education: Employed Women: *Females: Mathematics; Mathematics Education: Science Curriculum: *Science Education: Science Materials: *Scientists.:*Womens Education ABSTRACT This packet _of resource materialscontAins four sections: curriculum' activities,a careerguideforwmen,a role models list, and an annotated bibliography.These.materials deal with women in -science'arld. mathematics and cover primarythrough high school educational levels. Skill Activitiesare outlined for use at various (K-12) levels. whichwere designed to aid the development of ° scientific and mathematical skills and showthe relevance of these t technical-lobs. 'The Career Guide describescareers in-selected areas of mathematics and science. The Role Modelssection provides information about .the accomplishments cf.womenin the sciences, including Nobel Prize winners, prominentblack women scientists, invettors, and prominent scientists in eachof the mayor science areas. An annotated list .of materials, including juvnile-fictionand nonprint media, that introduce soientifidtopics, female role-models, and biographies of women scientists, is alsoprovided (CS) ************ ************** ** *** ***** ***** * ***** **** Reproductions supplied by EDES are the best that'canbe made from the origina1 document.- * ** ******** ***************************************** ****** ** HOW HIGH THE SKY? HOW FAR THE MOON? WOMEN SCIENTISTS TODAY An Educational Program for Girls and Women in Math andScience, Lafayette, Colorado SHARON L MENARE) THIS $ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE EDUCATION & WELFARE MATERIAL INMICROFICHE ONLY NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HAS BEEN GRANTED BY EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO. OUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED TROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN. A TINE IT POINTS OE VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE. SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RESOURCES EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY TO THE EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Women's Educational Equity-Act Program U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Patricia Roberts Harris, Secretary 9 As, Discrimination Prohibited: No person in the United States Shall, on the grounds of race, color,or nati-._ nal origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to dis- crimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, or be so treated on the basis of sex under most education programs or activities receiving federal assistance. Produced by An Educational Program for Girls and Women in Math and Science under a grant-from the U.S. Department of Health, Education; and Welfare, Office of Education, under the auspices of the Women's Educational Equity Act. Opinlons expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Office of Education or the Department, and no official endorsement should be inferred. Printed and distributed by Education Development Center1979,, 55 Chapel Street, Newton, Massa chusetts 02160. ROLE MODELS WOMEN SCIENTISTS Ti "136.1rio able !o unravel a small &woo the marvels of the universe...' Sonia Gitlin, Choil,Ist need to think ofcareerdirectsdeducation. They must overcome the negative image of science and nientists.- Dr. Agnes Stroud Schrnink, Radiation Biologist "It is especially exciting when an experiment you have designed works." Diane Dieter, Research Technician "In my opinion, the more wolren in the field ribetter it will be for men, women, and science. i Today's women scientists share a heritage with the greatwomen scientists who were their predecessors. Their work Is exciting. They display courage and persistenceas did scientists in the past. They encourage girls to consider working in the scientific fields, but they expressa word of caution: It is not all glamour. It is hard, c'ten tedlous work. They admit that It IS difficult to compete ina man's world and to combine career and family, but none would do otherwise If the Inhoice were theirs to make again. In the next few pages, you will meet so e of today's women scientists. Theyare a small sample of the women who have chosen one of the sciences as their profession. Page 1 MAY 9 1988 ROLE MODELS Dr. Margaret Ackerman, Chemist Director of Metabolism and Radio Chemistry Rhoads Scientific Company, Colorado Springs, Colorado care about clean air and clean water. My work can help solve some ofour environmental problems," according to Dr. Margaret Ackerman. She specializes in the chemical analysisof substances which are sub- ject to Federal health and environmental regulations. She feels her workcan make the difference in the air we breathe and the water we drink. When she was a young girl, Dr. Ackerman thought she might bea medical doctor, but, later in college, an undergraduate chemistry professor offered an opportunity to do independent researchand encouraged her to continue on in chemistry. She considers this fortunate because,as she reflects on this she realizes that she is temperamentally unsuited for medicine and for dealing withdeath. Dr. AckerMan's inclinations for science, particularly research,were very strong by the time she began high school. She attributes this to her aunt,a mathematics teacher. Dr. Ackerman admiringly describes a remarkable woman who was a strong influence on her and provideda role model. This aunt, who raised her after her mother died, encouraged her interest in science and taught herto value her freedom to be anything she wanted to be. When Dr. Ackerman completed her bachelor's degree in chemistry,she continued into graduate school where she met her future husband, one of her students in thechemistry laboratory course which she taught. She married her student, quit her graduate studies, and tooka Job to help him finish his education in nuclear engineering. Her Jobs included chemistry analysis workwith Shell Oil Company and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory In California. Nine years later, when her marriage ended, she returned toNew Mexico and continued her Intempted graduate studies, receiving her Ph.D. degree in 1971. Dr. Ackerman is an active, busy person whose life is not restrictedto her job. Besides her work, which she finds very satisfying, she is actively involved in politics andsports tennis, skiing, and, hiking. When she isn't on the go, she says, read everything." EDUCATION:B.S. Chemistry, 1957, University of New Mexico Ph.D. Chemistry, 1971, University of New Mexico Page 2 ROLE MODELS Diane Dieter, Biologist Research Technician, Cancer and Transplantation Immunology AMC Cancer Research Center and Hospital, Lakewood, Colorado "I'm in charge of our mouse colony at AMC,"says Diane Dieter. This includes genetic selection, inbreeding, and weaning. The mice are used In the researchwork at her laboratory. She points out that her laboratory is small and therefore we do all the work,from dishwashing to ordering supplies to planning and executing the explrlments." When Ms..Dieter was a young girl, she thought she would bea housewife, but her mother always said she should be a veterinarian. From junior high schoolon, states Ms. Dieter, "science was my area." Al- though she 111-ed her science classes, she hadmany other Interests, Including active participation on stage crews and in t tage management. At one point In college, her avocational activitiesbecame so peryasive that her card-playing hobby "Almost resulted in her majoringin bridge.- After she received her B.S. degree,, she moved toMadison, Wisconsin and the University of W; consin for graduate work In genetics and molecular biology', but she qu'tafter three semesters. She was uncertain about this field of study and felt that Elie was not ready for thepressures of graduate school. It was then that she returned to tier native Denver where job-huntingwas tough. It took six months to find her current job. For Ms. Dieter, research Is exciting and Intellectually stimulating,although, she points out,it Is not as romantic as I originally envisioned." Besides the intellectual challenge, shefeels her work allows con- siderable freedom to schedule her hours and to be creative andInnovative, When she was 18, she almost married, but decidednot to do It As she describes it"It was the first step towards learning to love myself and learning, if I didn't, therewas nothing to give anyone else." In addition she thinks it Is important for every person to be able to financiallysupport him- or herself. She emphasizes: having a career, not just a job, can make working fora living very interesting." oday, although her family lives in the same city, she has herown apartment, which she shares with two 'dependents" her two cats whom she describes as "alley
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