untitled

Recognition of a new insight is important and

extremely worthwhile, but an ethos based on

having a loser rather than upon making a sig-

nificant positive contribution requires setting

up battlegrounds. These types of engage-

ments have far too much impact on the defi-

nition of success in the sciences, and the logic,

or lack thereof, of this behavior is often lost

on successful professional women.

From experiences during education to

experiences in the professions, women and

men are confronted with positive and nega-

tive feedback regarding careers in the biologi-

cal sciences. Earlier networking and mentor-

ing advice to students and junior colleagues

would serve to help women determine

whether biological science is indeed the pas-

sion of their professional lives. The network-

ing and mentoring that help in that decision

making need to continue as the young profes-

sionals, and senior professionals, progress in

their careers and encounter new issues unre-

lated to the passion for the discipline, but

directly related to their ability to be successful

in pursuing that discipline. From introduc-

tions at a national meeting to appointments

onto powerful institutional committees,

engaging women in the positive process of

science as well as the pleasure of science may

encourage more women to commit their ener-

gies to staying rather than leaving. ■

References

1. NSF Report NSF 96-311, “Women, Minorities, and
   Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 1996.”


2. Seymour, E. and Hewitt, N. M., 1994 Talking about
   Leaving, Final report to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation on an
   ethnographic inquiry at seven institutions


3. Science255, 1365-1388 (1992) Women in Science, First
   Annual Survey.


4. Etzkowitz et al., Science266, 51-54 (1994) The Paradox of
   Critical Mass for Women in Science.


5. Science 271, 1901-1921 (1996) Maintaining Diversity in
   Science.

100 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS

The notion of winners and

losers in scientific research is

limited since scientific discoveries

are based on years of prior work

by many others.