Above Average

Chemistry department bucks national trends

March 18, 2008

Amy Witter (right), associate professor of chemistry, hopes that women will be inspired to pursue careers in chemistry after interacting with female chemistry professors.

The underrepresentation of women in scientific disciplines is regularly reported in the popular and science-related media. Bucking convention, Dickinson's chemistry department has unusually high representation with five female professors in its seven-person department.

"Every year publications talk about the status of women in the sciences and the abysmal representation of women at top research institutions," says Amy Witter, associate professor of chemistry. "When I arrived at Dickinson in 1999, there were three female and three male chemistry professors," Witter continues.

"In our job searches we have always looked for candidates who meet certain criteria," says Michael Holden, professor of chemistry. "These include an appreciation for a liberal-arts education, a strong chemistry background, research interests that complement and expand the department's offerings, enthusiasm for teaching and an ability to communicate. Lately, for us, that pool has been more populated with female chemists."

"I really think we have the highest ratio of women professors in any liberal-arts chemistry department in the country," adds Witter.

In contrast to Dickinson, at the 100 research universities that spend the most on chemistry research, women represent only 15 percent of chemistry faculty members.

According to Witter, women enter graduate school for chemistry at the same or higher rates than their male counterparts, yet they are in the minority in most chemistry departments.

"How do we retain qualified women in graduate programs and at their first jobs?" Witter asks. "Some schools now offer pregnancy leave for graduate students, and top universities are realizing that they may need to modify the timeline to tenure … so that [female professors] can have families if they so choose."

One way female students can be encouraged to continue their pursuit of scientific study is to see women working in professions related to chemistry. Dickinson acts as a good example.

"I was less intimidated about pursuing the major because I had strong female role models and advisers," says Megan Blair '02, a third-year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine. "It was reassuring to see that they were able to maintain careers in chemistry, publish their research and still have time to have children."

"It was inspiring to work with a female professor and see females pursuing successful scientific careers," adds Amanda Gellett '06, who researched the synthesis of ferrocene lysine at Dickinson with Pamela Higgins, assistant professor of chemistry.

Now pursuing a Ph.D. in pharmacology at the University of Virginia, Gellett was aware that women are underrepresented in chemistry departments nationwide, but she did not experience the scarcity of female professors until she applied to graduate schools.

"Nine out of 10 incoming students into my graduate program are women," Gellett says. She hopes this eventually leads to more women working in chemistry.

Like Witter, she is hopeful that Dickinson's distinctive chemistry department will have a positive influence in encouraging this change across the board.