Cover story

Chemistry finds winning formula

Chemistry department wins national recognition for female faculty

By Ranjit Arab

It turns out that seven is a pretty lucky number for KU’s Department of Chemistry.
The seven female professors in the department — who account for 29 percent of the department’s 24 faculty members — give KU the highest percentage of female faculty members among the nation’s top 50 chemistry departments, according to a recent survey by Chemical and Engineering News.
KU’s chemistry department switched places with Rutgers University for the top spot among the top 50 chemistry departments at public and private institutions as ranked by the National Science Foundation. The national average among the top 50 chemistry departments is just 12 percent.
“There still might be a glass ceiling, but we’ve definitely put a dent in it,” said Kristin Bowman-James, professor of chemistry at KU.
Rutgers, which last year held the top spot, has 10 female faculty members, who account for 27 percent of the department’s faculty. Pennsylvania State University’s chemistry department, which has seven women making up 22 percent of its faculty, rounded out the top three. The only other Big 12 school in the top five was the University of Colorado, whose seven female faculty members put it in a tie for fifth place at 18 percent. The University of Oklahoma and Texas A&M University were cited as schools with departments that employ more than 10 percent female faculty.
KU’s chemistry department also was cited by the survey for leading the nation in the percentage of female assistant professors with 57 percent. According to the survey, assistant professorships often are an indication of a welcoming environment that encourages promising young faculty members.
Bowman-James said KU’s chemistry department has come a long way since she arrived in 1975 as the department’s only female faculty member. A recent staff meeting reminded her of how much things had changed.
“I walked in and saw that all of the women had taken up the entire front row,” she said. “We looked impressive.”
While she may be too modest to admit it, Bowman-James’ tireless efforts helped KU garner this achievement. As chair of the chemistry department from 1995 to 2001, she helped recruit four of the seven female faculty members. She recently received national awards from the American Chemical Society and the professional society, Iota Sigma Pi, for her excellence in encouraging women to enter the chemistry field.
The department continues to make a concerted effort to seek out strong female candidates, she said, by advertising positions in publications run by women’s organizations, such as the Association for Women in Science and the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists.
Although the recognition is flattering, Bowman-James said the motivation behind promoting diversity was much more practical, since it meant including different perspectives and getting the most out of the available talent.
“If you leave women and minorities out, you are not utilizing the full brain power of our people,” she said.
Bowman-James said she takes great pride in the fact that women occupy positions across the board in the department: two each in analytic and organic chemistry and one apiece in inorganic, physical and education chemistry.
In fact, the sciences at KU as a whole are doing a terrific job of recruiting strong female candidates, she said. In 2000, KU’s department of physics and astronomy was cited as one of only 17 physics departments nationwide with at least four female faculty members.
As the most recent addition to KU’s chemistry department, Heather Desaire said she noticed the department’s commitment to providing equal opportunities from the onset of the interview process.
“The difference between KU and other places is that other places would be happy if women happened to apply, but KU actually sought out and identified talented women in the field and encouraged them to apply,” she said.
Desaire said she was impressed that the entire chemistry department was committed to creating an inclusive atmosphere.
“What I find remarkable is that all of the faculty in the chemistry department — both men and women — interact well together,” she said. “There is a sense of cooperation at KU, and I think that is exceptional compared to any other university.”