Cornell alumnae group's conference spotlights women in life sciences

By Linda Grace-Kobas

"Science is a way to poke and pry," said former space shuttle astronaut and 1981 Cornell Medical College alumna Dr. Mae Jemison to Cornell women students and members of the President's Council of Cornell Women (PCCW) at a networking luncheon during the alumnae group's annual spring conference on campus, March 6-9.

Former astronaut Mae Jemison, M.D. '81, president of BioSentient Corp., a medical technology company, speaks during a President's Council of Cornell Women luncheon for students, March 8, in the Statler Hotel ballroom. Barry De Libero/University Photography

PCCW hosted the luncheon and subsequent small-group sessions to offer students the opportunity to meet with women in a wide range of professional fields to discuss career issues and opportunities. About 150 students attended the networking events, co-sponsored by Cornell Career Services and held in the Statler Hotel ballroom March 8. The theme of the conference was "Women in Life Sciences."

Her studies in science didn't make her want to change the world, Jemison told her audience. Rather, "science is a means of organizing information and seeking answers. Science helps us figure out a way to ask the questions."

The first African-American woman to fly in space, on the shuttle Endeavor in 1992, Jemison urged the students to "hang out with" many different kinds of people and to examine issues from many perspectives.

Jemison said that since the space shuttle Columbia disaster, she has been asked whether space exploration is worth the risk of human life. She said people have even asked why she would risk her own life for exploration, unlike a soldier who may sacrifice his or her life for the homeland. She retorted that in the service of knowledge, an astronaut, a microbiologist studying ebola, a physician treating AIDS patients, a volcanologist monitoring a volcano, all risk their lives for "a more noble cause," which is human advancement.

During the question-and-answer period, Jemison noted that "too often" women in career or tenure tracks are given extra responsibilities for programs in diversity, education and outreach that place an extra burden on them. She said such responsibilities should be borne by those in senior positions.

Sara Lozyniak, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she found Jemison to be "not only entertaining but inspirational" and said she appreciated the opportunity to meet faculty and alumnae at the PCCW conference.

PCCW offered three open panel discussions on the topic of women in the life sciences. The first, held March 7 in the Robison Hall of Fame Room in Schoellkopf Hall, focused on "Cornell: A Leader in Life Sciences." Provost Biddy Martin opened the panel by saying that one of the unique aspects of Cornell's initiative is the integration of ethics and social sciences, and the reorganization of traditional lines of basic and applied biological research. Noting that there are many more women in the biological life sciences than in the hard sciences, Martin said the initiative will help draw women into Cornell programs. Kraig Adler, vice provost for life sciences, described the range of life science research at Cornell, and College of Engineering Dean W. Kent Fuchs told PCCW members about the college's new program in biomedical engineering. Associate Professor Patrick Stover presented a review of research being conducted at the Cornell Institute for Nutritional Genomics, a campuswide initiative housed in the Division of Nutritional Sciences.

"Life Sciences and Our Bodies" was the focus of the second panel, presented March 9 in Sage Hall. Hazel H. Szeto, professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell, gave a detailed presentation of her research on drug delivery during pregnancy, which examines the effects of a variety of drugs on both mother and fetus. Marjolein van der Meulen, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, who has a joint appointment with Weill Cornell in biomedical mechanics, described her work studying bone growth and development, particularly bone problems like osteoporosis that occur at the end stages of life. And Virginia A. Zakian, the Harry Wiess Professor of Life Sciences at Princeton University, who earned her undergraduate degree in biology at Cornell in 1970, pointed out that one of the founders of telomeres research, her own focus, was Cornell researcher and alumna Barbara McClintock, who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine.

At the final panel, "Life Sciences Research and Our Daily Lives," Barbara A. Baird, director of Cornell's Nanobiotechnology Center and professor of chemistry and chemical biology, described how she is studying allergic response by collaborating with engineers using nanotechnology to study patterned surfaces like those in plasma membranes. Kathryn J. Boor, associate professor of food science, explained how scientists use DNA analysis to identify various strains of bacteria involved in food-borne diseases. Jemison described her entrepreneurial venture, a company that is commercializing technology for autogenic feedback training. And Paulette Clancy, chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, described the barriers women face in the technical and physical sciences. She urged PCCW members to continue to be involved with women faculty and to serve as mentors to faculty and graduate students.