URI welcomes chapter of Association for Women in Science, addresses gender discrimination in the field
Mary McGunigal
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Campus
She said the steps to create a more supportive environment for women in the sciences include mentoring, networking and encouraging collaboration over competition. Kamens said networking was one of the advantages of AWIS, which is an organization that "provides a support system" and "enriches collaborations."
"People do not get jobs from sending out resumes," Kamens said but by "building relationships with people in [their] field."
After graduating with a Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard Medical School's Division of Medical Sciences, Kamens was able to interview for many positions, thanks to the connections provided by her advisor.
Kamens also spoke about how women have the ability to select research labs suitable to their needs. In her lecture, Kamens encouraged women to look for "gender-blind, supportive" mentors and to steer clear of any sexist faculty, regardless of how impressive their research may be.
One group of gender-biased people Kamens has come across throughout her professional career are the scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"MIT faculty are notoriously discriminatory," Kamens said.
Size and level of competitiveness are two main factors Kamens suggested women consider when choosing a lab.
Another factor affecting lab compatibility is the ability for the head researcher to deal with conflict. Kamens said that she once worked in a laboratory in which a love triangle involving two grad students and a post-doc ended up in glassware being thrown and harmful fumes emitted. Needless to say, the two senior laboratory researchers ignored the issue.
Kamens also suggested for women interested in the sciences to contact lab alumni and ask for candid accounts of their experience. She said it is important to find out if they were "happy in their training." Investigating this decision is worth the time she said, because it's "a choice of where you want to spend six years or more."
According to Kamens, AWIS was first founded about 40 years ago and around 60 active chapters now exist. Anyone interested in joining the AWIS-RI can contact Professor Narayanan to find out more.
"People do not get jobs from sending out resumes," Kamens said but by "building relationships with people in [their] field."
After graduating with a Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard Medical School's Division of Medical Sciences, Kamens was able to interview for many positions, thanks to the connections provided by her advisor.
Kamens also spoke about how women have the ability to select research labs suitable to their needs. In her lecture, Kamens encouraged women to look for "gender-blind, supportive" mentors and to steer clear of any sexist faculty, regardless of how impressive their research may be.
One group of gender-biased people Kamens has come across throughout her professional career are the scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"MIT faculty are notoriously discriminatory," Kamens said.
Size and level of competitiveness are two main factors Kamens suggested women consider when choosing a lab.
Another factor affecting lab compatibility is the ability for the head researcher to deal with conflict. Kamens said that she once worked in a laboratory in which a love triangle involving two grad students and a post-doc ended up in glassware being thrown and harmful fumes emitted. Needless to say, the two senior laboratory researchers ignored the issue.
Kamens also suggested for women interested in the sciences to contact lab alumni and ask for candid accounts of their experience. She said it is important to find out if they were "happy in their training." Investigating this decision is worth the time she said, because it's "a choice of where you want to spend six years or more."
According to Kamens, AWIS was first founded about 40 years ago and around 60 active chapters now exist. Anyone interested in joining the AWIS-RI can contact Professor Narayanan to find out more.
Be the first to comment on this story