Photo by Dr. Dami Akinmade
What’s it like to be the only female faculty member in your department for 20 years?Just ask Dr. Robbie Sabin, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science. There were definitely many challenges involved as one can imagine. Great strides have been made and now, 2 of the 8 full-time faculty members of the Computer Science department are women and one of them is chair, Dr. Dawn Lawrie.
On the last day of NAS’s Grand Seminar Week, Dr. Robbie Sabin called a meeting of women STEM faculty at Loyola to discuss issues surrounding their work life. Discussion topics ranged from increasing diversity (more females and women of color) to being more inclusive of non-tenure track women faculty to the recognition of the “everyday female scientist” and promotion of her accomplishments.
The group brainstormed ideas on how to form and strengthen bonds between women STEM faculty members and increase interdepartmental collaborations. Giving advice and sharing of research and teaching experiences by way of one-on-one mentorship was a big goal. Even though challenges exist, having these relationships and support groups could be of great help to a struggling faculty member.
Dr. Bahram Roughani, Associate Dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences, stopped by to chat with the attendees and discuss some of their concerns. The meeting ended with a plan to have a workshop session involving even more women STEM faculty members. The session, championed by Assistant Professor of Engineering Dr. Suzanne Keilson, will be aimed at developing and pursuing 1 or 2 specific activities that will meet the most pressing needs of the participants.
This meeting was hosted by Drs. Sabin and Keilson’s ASAP alliance, which includes other 3 members from various US institutions. ASAP stands for Advancing the Careers of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions through Professional Networks. Six other faculty members at Loyola are also a part of this large mentoring network. ASAP is funded by the National Science Foundation ADVANCE (Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers) program.
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