EMPLOYMENT YOUNG MINDS Jameton (left) believes that women before her helped breach the gender barrier, which eased her transition into academia.
est challenges for a woman chemist, says Christine Wehlburg, 37, a senior technical staff member at Sandia National Labora tories. "For years, I tried tofigureout why going up and giving a talk was so daunting. And then I realized that I was always speaking to a room full of men, and I could count the number of women in the room with thefingerson one hand, if there were any women at all."
FINDING A PLACE IN CHEMISTRY Women chemists know what they want from the working world and, increasingly, are finding it SUSAN J. AINSWORTH, CONTRIBUTE G EDITOR S T H E Y MOVE FROM T H E II field. Thanks to their hard work, I am al classroom to the workplace, lowed to concentrate on other things." new women chemists are not In particular, women who have come naive. aboard their institutions within the past They seem to be fully aware few years seem to share an optimism as of the realities they face as employees in in well as a passion for their work. 'As ayoung dustry, academia, and government. They person, one of the things you can exploit know, for example, that few women have very well is enthusiasm," says Mary Kay H. yetrisento the upper echelons of their in Pflum, 31, who started herfirstjob as an as stitutions. They also recognize that they sistant professor of chemistry at Wayne are still minorities in the chemical world State University this past fall. and, as a result, may face some obstacles "I think young professors breathe a lot foreign to their male counterparts. of life into departments and help motivate But, interestingly, women starting out them to move forward," she says. "We're in chemical careers seem undaunted by young. We have a lot of ambition. And I these facts. With a fresh perspective and a think that most faculty members really ap positive attitude, they have no intention preciate an enthusiastic young person who of lettinggender barriers impede their pro can come and reignite their excitement fessional growth. about research." "I feel that to some degree the 'women Indeed, women today are completing in chemistry' issue was an issue of a gener their education better prepared than ever ation before me," says RachelJameton, 31, to manage their careers. And they contin who has been a visiting faculty member in ue to seek out innovative ways to rally sup chemistry at Evergreen State College in port, sharpen skills, balance their work and Olympia, Wash., since completing her doc family responsibilities, and champion oth torate this past summer. "Our predeces er women coming up through the ranks. sors broke down many barriers to make Dealing with her minority status in the sure that I am comfortable going into this II field of chemistry can be one of the great-
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IT'S NOT UNCOMMON for a woman chemist to find herself in a predominantly male research group, notesJulieTeetsov, 33, whoisstartinghersecondyearasaresearch chemist at General Electric's global R&D center in Niskayuna, Ν. Υ In such a situa tion, she notes, a woman might feel alien ated or like she is not really part of the team. Although Teetsov was the only woman on one ofher project teams when she start ed her job, she felt well prepared to handle the situation. In graduate school at the Uni versity of Texas, Austin, where she was al so one offew women in her department, she and a group of about 15 women colleagues decided to start a peer group and talk about their feelings about being a minority The group, W^men in Chemistry set out to im prove the education and employment op portunities for women in chemistry and provide a supportive environment for per sonal and professional development. Through her participation in the group, Teetsov says, "I was able to explore my feel ings and develop in ways that would not have been possible in a mixed-gender group." In particular, she says the group helped her to overcome obstacles and ap preciate the value ofmentors, peer support, and networking. 'And working as part of a team to build a new organization helped me to define exactly what I was looking for in an employer: integrity, great manage ment, and a merit-based reward system." During on-campus interviews, she knew GE wouldfitthe bill, she says. In addition to being a fast-paced, customer-focused, and profit-driven company with technical excellence, GE has made a serious com mitment to the support and development of a diverse workforce, she says. One attraction to GE was its Women's Network, which was formed in 1998 to sup port the professional development of women. It provides mentoring and coach ing across GE and within its businesses. Participants share information on job opC & E N / FEBRUARY 1 1, 2002
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EMPLOYMENT poitunities and exchange views with suc cessful role models. In short, the network provides a vehicle for women to connect with their peers throughout GE while learn ing best practices, improving their leader ship skills, and managing their profession al development.
met that and other requirements, and she accepted an assistant professorship there in August. Currently, she is one of six fulltime female faculty members in her de partment. Although only one currently has tenure, one more woman will go through the tenure decision process this spring. "For me, this is important because I have a great wealth of knowledge to draw from when I have questions concerning the tenure process," McRey nolds says. "I also have the op portunity to watch how these talented women go though this progression of events at a more advanced stage than myself. And I can observe how women in the same job balance their lives and families with their careers." Senior women can be agreat source of support on topics such as professional advance ment and work-family balance, but men, too, can be great men tors. Pflum, for example, says she received invaluable guid APLOM Β Pflum advises women to seek out ance from both men and wo those who will provide support and help promote men in her department. "The self-confidence. important thing is tofindpeo In addition to tapping into GE's Wo ple in your department who want to sup men's Network, Teetsov plans to stay con port you. They can help you stay on track nected to an informal peer group ofwomen and really boost your confidence." friends and colleagues who can act as a sounding board and provide a ready source CONFIDENCE is critical to early success of support and encouragement. Recently, on the job, many women say As women for example, Teetsov spent a weekend in start a new job, it's particularly important Washington, D.C., with four graduate for them to be active and visible partici school friends to compare notes about pants in the company, says Jessica Parker, theirfirstyear in the workforce. 24, an emulsion polymerization chemist "I think it's important to keep those at Atofina Chemicals. "Do not be afraid to contacts and nurture those friendships that speak up and present your ideas to oth you know will be there in 10 or 20 years," ers," she advises. "Remember, you bring a she says. "Those are very special relation fresh perspective to the company and can ships that would be difficult to establish identify new and different solutions to problems." with male peers." Just as important as finding peer sup As an increasing number of companies port is locating mentors, many women reorganize their employees into cross-func agree. When Kathie McReynolds, 30, set tional teams, it's even more critical for out to find her first faculty position, she every team member—no matter how jun wanted tofindone in a department where ior—to voice opinions and give input. Upon starting her job at GE, Teetsov ex there were other women in tenure-track or pected that she would be working along tenured positions. For her, the chemistry department at side other experts in herfieldof scanning California State University, Sacramento, probe microscopy Instead, she was put in
to a diverse team where she was the lone ex pert in herfield.That team, charged with developing expertise in nanomaterials, con sists of materials scientists, chemists, physi cists, engineers, and theorists from many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. However, women should not want to appear so confident that they stop asking questions, many women warn. "Sometimes scientists think they look silly or stupid if they ask questions or admit they don't un derstand something. That can be a major problem, because asking questions is real ly critical to one's own learning process," says Arikha Moses, 34, chief operating of ficer of Advanced Materials Design, in New Brunswick, N.J., a four-year-old company that develops biopolymers for drug deliv ery and tissue regeneration. WOMEN NEED TO BE assertive, too, when it comes to protecting family time, if that is a priority It's a good idea for women to scrutinize the benefits menu of a prospec tive employer before accepting an offer, Wehlburg advises. While finishing up a postdoc at Sandia, she turned down an of fer for an industrial position when the company refused to put the verbal prom ise of aflexiblework schedule into writ ing. At the time, she was trying to reduce the number of hours that her infant son was in day care. She's glad she held out for the perma nent position she now holds at Sandia, which allowed her an official 9/80 work schedule (working 80 hours in nine days and taking every other Friday off). "My hus band and I both work at Sandia, and we were able to alternate care for my son on Fridays until we felt he was ready for fulltime day care." Flexibility maybe even more important to women in chemistry than in other fields. "Chemistry does not always fit neatly in to an eight-to-five schedule, observes McReynolds, who does not yet have chil dren. Through her experience with re search, she knows that "there are times when things need to get done at odd hours of the night or on weekends," she adds. "My husband and I often ask ourselves how we will find the time for children someday We know it will require greater compro mise and flexibility in our schedules"—and on the part of their employers.
Having confidence is something that nobody tells you you needp but it's something that everyone can see when you go into an interview/' 66
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Challenge.
Innovation.
Inspiration.
Found it* Are you challenged by the possibilities of changing the world with great care? Inspired by the opportunities of this challenge? Do you want to be a part of an innovative, worldwide pharmaceutical company? If so, then, you have found it-a career with Bayer Pharmaceutical Division. The Bayer Research Center, located in West Haven, CT, is a state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary facility backed by unparalleled resources and a strong commitment to a high performance work culture. We take great pride in our worldwide responsibility for discovering new drugs to treat diabetes, obesity and cancer. As we expand our initiatives, we seek talented individuals with the foresight and desire to take part in changing the world with great care.
SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMIST BS/MS We have immediate openings for bachelor's and master's chemists to participate in finding new drugs to treat diabetes, obesity and cancer. With a focus on designing therapeutic agents, peptidomimetics and heterocyclic molecules, selected candidates will design and conduct multi-step syntheses and communicate results to project teams. Qualified candidates will have a strong background in modern synthetic organic chemistry coupled with a thorough knowledge of modern chromatographic and analytical techniques (HPLC, NMR and MS). BS or MS degree in chemistry with 0-4 years laboratory experience in organic chemistry. Reply Code: ACNW2068
PROCESS CHEMIST BS/MS We are seeking self-motivated individuals with experience as a synthetic organic chemist to contribute to our efforts in the areas of process chemistry and large-scale synthesis. Candidates must have previous experience in synthetic organic chemistry and be familiar with various stateof-the-art synthetic methods, preparative chromatography systems and spectral methods, especially NMR. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development and optimization of synthetic routes to preclinical drug candidates and key intermediates. Practical experience in scaling up multistep syntheses from milligram to several hundred grams is highly desired. Position requirements are an MS with 2+ years of experience or a BS with 4+ years of experience. Reply Code: ACNW2070
SCALE-UP/100L REACTOR SUITE SPECIALIST As a self-motivated, well-organized and detail-oriented individual, you will perform scale-up and implementation of bulk chemical synthesis using our state-of-the-art 100-L Reactor Suite facility. You will work with our process chemists to transfer their lab-scale synthesis into the Reactor Suite. Hands-on experience in scaling up multistep syntheses in a large-scale reactor setting is essential. Requirements include a degree in chemistry or equivalent: an MS with 2+ years of experience or BS with 4+ years of experience. Reply Code: ACNW2080
NMR SPECTROSCOPIST We have an immediate opening for a BS/MS level NMR Spectroscopist with 2-4 years experience. This position provides analytical support to medicinal and combinatorial chemistry programs in Discovery Research. Candidates need to have a good working knowledge of modern NMR techniques used in the analysis of organic structures, along with experience in the operation and maintenance of NMR instruments. Preference will be given to candidates with a background in organic chemistry and experience in sample manipulation. Our state-of-the-art NMR facility includes four research spectrometers (DPX-400, DRX-500, DMX-500 and DMX-600) and four open access spectrometers (two Mercury 400s and two Mercury 300s). Reply Code: ACNW2069
MASS SPECTROSCOPIST We have an immediate opening for a BS/MS level Mass Spectroscopist with 2-4 years experience. This position provides analytical support to medicinal and combinatorial chemistry programs in Discovery Research. Candidates need to have a good working knowledge of mass spectrometry, encompassing a range of MS techniques used in the analysis of organic compounds. Responsibilities will include the operation and maintenance of MS instruments. Preferred candidates will have a good background in organic chemistry and skill in communication. Techniques used in our state-of-the-art MS facility include HPLC/MS, capillary LC/MS, nanospray, GC/MS, MSn, SRM for research PK, EI/+CI/NCI/MS, MALDI-TOF and FT-MS. Reply Code: ACNW2072 At Bayer, we encourage our employees to work with passion, enthusiasm and commitment. In return, we offer a dynamic work-life balance program, 100% tuition reimbursement, competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits that take effect on day one. Please send a resume and research summary, including Reply Code, to: Bayer Corporation, Pharmaceutical Division, P.O. Box 3238, Scranton, PA 18505-0238. Fax: 1-888-805-7474. E-mail:
[email protected] E-mailed resumes should be attached as a Word or Text file for faster processing and contain the Reply Code in the subject line. No agencies or phone calls please. Bayer Corporation is an equal opportunity employer.
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Bayer Pharmaceutical Division Changing the world with great care.
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EMPLOYMENT Indeed, many companies are implementing programs that help employees balance work and family GE, for example, offers flex-time and part-time work schedules, job sharing, a compressed workweek, and a telework program that allows employees to work one to four days outside of their office, Teetsov says. SOME COMPANIES, such as Merck, have even set up on-site child care centers that bring convenience and peace of mind to employees with children. In August, Sandia employees will have access to a new childcare facility close to the lab. Beyond work and family policies, many companies are adopting novel programs that foster a diverse workforce and help women advance. Last month, Bayer Corp. was honored with the Catalyst Award, which recognizes companies annually for implementing new and creative solutions for ensuring women's advancement in the workplace. According to Catalyst, a Newlfork Citybased organization devoted to the advancement of women in business, Bayer has developed an overarching approach to diversity Bayer's initiative, Bayer Women: Leaders for the Global Marketplace, focuses on developing women and people of color over time and providing them with the tools to rise up the global ladder at Bayer. The Bayer Diversity Advisory Council drives the initiative; each of its five subcommittees—communications, education and training, mentorship, recruitment and retention, and work and life—is supported by two executive sponsors. Bayer also
SUPPORT Teetsov and colleagues began a peer group to talk about issues facing women in chemistry. 48
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has a Delegate Career Development Program, which was set up to help women take on international assignments in nontraditional roles. Nine of the 19 who have participated since 1997 have completed their assignments and have achieved promotions ranging from two to four grade levels. Bayer President and Chief Executive Officer Helge H. Wehmeier regularly reviews with his direct reports employee statistics as well as action plans for employee development and diversity As a result, in the past four years, the percentage of women at the executive level has increased from 2.6% to 6.7%; at the vice president level, from 8.8% to 12.8%; and at the director level, from 13.6% to 21.6%. In addition to offering formal career development McReynolds programs, large companies can provide a broad spectrum of in-house job opportunities for chemists. That was a major attraction for Catherine Radzewich, 31, a research chemist within DuPont Central R&D. Although she says she loves her current assignment—developing catalysts and researching olefin polymerization under the Versipol technology umbrella— she realizes that she "already has a strong desire to pursue some other area of chemistry during the next five to 10 years." Since starting with DuPont nearly three years ago, she has been advised to learn as much about the company as possible by attending the many in-house technical discussions and seminars it offers. "DuPont is such a large company that you can participate and learn about new areas of science every single day The opportunities are endless," she says. Indeed, women chemists today have many more doors open to them as they start their careers. "It is no longer an area where the only option is to be a traditional bench chemist," says Ann Watt, 27, a product safety representative at Bayer. She loves being able to apply the knowledge and expertise she gained at Bucknell University to regulatory issues. Since joining the company, she has helped orchestrate the safe handling, use, and disposal of the company's products. Moses of Advanced Materials Design also chose a nontraditional career path. While finishing up her graduate degree at Yile University, "I realized that I loved science and technology but I didn't want to
work at the bench anymore," she says. "I began doing a tremendous amount of research on how I could use my skills and education in another way" She learned all she could about investment banks, consulting firms, and venture-capital firms and in what capacity Ph.D.-level chemists work for them. In what she calls a stroke of luck, she spotted an employment ad in a magazine for a scientific analyst— someone who could look at promising new technologies for a seed-stage venture-capital firm. That's where her research into venture-capital firms paid off, she believes. She landed an interview and was hired. "So I went around the country visiting professors and reading journals and thinking about new product ideas. It was a great, great job." THROUGH HER TRAVELS, Moses came across some exciting research on combinatorial methods for building polymerbased biomaterials. "Back in 1997 and 1998, combinatorial chemistry was a very hot field, but there weren't very many companies using the technique to design materials, so I knew this was something to explore," she says. After analyzing the market for these novel materials, she realized that they had the makings of a new company, and subsequently, her venture-capital firm formed Advanced Materials Design. Moses is glad that she picked a career that suits her so well. But not all women know what type of job will fit their interests and aptitudes; some have to find out through trial and error. "I had to spend a couple ofyears searching for a way out of the laboratory and into manufacturing, which is where my real passion lies," lamentsJuliya Livshits, a quality management specialist at Hoffman-La Roche. To avoid making the same mistake, she recommends that students seek out internships in areas they think they might enjoy "Had I worked in the environment I thought I wanted to be in during my college years, I would have discovered much earlier that this was not the right place for me." Indeed, women need to know what they want from their career before anyone can help them. "On a daily basis, you have to remind yourself ofwhat you want and stay focused on your life goals," GE's Teetsov says. "People can help you make choices, but ultimately nobody is going to care HTTP://PUBS.ACS.ORG/CEN
challenge innovation teamwork
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