On Sept. 18, President Ruth Simmons participated in a panel that addressed how institutional structures, including those at colleges and universities, hinder the rise of female science and engineering academics nationwide.
Commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences, the panel coincided with the release of a National Academies report asserting that women face "barriers to hiring and promotion in research universities in many fields of science and engineering," according to a Sept. 18 University press release. Titled "Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering," the report also claimed that the current situation - in which institutional structures, such as hiring procedures and the timetable for promotion, hinder women's advancement in the sciences - "deprives the United States of an important source of talent," according to the press release.
Associate Provost Pamela O'Neil said the number of women pursuing careers in the sciences and engineering has increased in recent years, but these gains do not necessarily translate into a higher number of women reaching the upper echelons of scientific fields.
"Somewhere between getting a Ph.D. and becoming full-time professors, they're lost," O'Neil said. "They leave the sciences for various reasons, but there are institutional problems."
In an effort to develop a more diverse science and engineering workforce, the National Academies report offers recommendations for university presidents, trustees, provosts and department chairs as well as other members of professional societies, higher education organizations, government agencies and Congress.
Though the report was released just this month, efforts to facilitate the success of women interested in the sciences have been in place at Brown for years.
The Office of the Vice President for Research has long been devising mechanisms to support professional advancement for all faculty, especially women in the sciences, in an effort to maximize the number of career academics with ties to the University.
As part of the Plan for Academic Enrichment, the office was charged to help foster an "environment wherein our faculty (both male and female) can be superstars," O'Neil said.
These efforts recently helped the University secure a $3.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation from a program specifically geared to professional development for women in the sciences, O'Neil said.
The NSF grant is not the first time Brown has received support from various other organizations geared toward supporting female scientists.
The University's Women in Science and Engineering program, which provides advising and support for female students concentrating in the sciences and engineering, earned recognition as a model program from the NSF in 1994.
The University has also received funding from a variety of other organizations for a similar purpose, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institution.
"We continue to seek funding for support for more programs as we develop new initiatives," said David Targan, associate dean of the College and dean for science programs. "We are applying for a number of grants at the moment, federal and private."
