Why can't all men be like Nobel Laureate Paul Greengard?
Shortly after he was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on transmitters in the brain, Dr. Greengard decided to endow a scientific prize of his own -- one most of his fellow Nobel laureates could never even hope to win. Awarded annually by Rockefeller University, The Pearl Meister Greengard Prize spotlights achievement in the field of biomedical research by an outstanding woman. Named after Greengard's mother, the $100,000 prize is one man's attempt to put a plus in a column that carries a lot of minuses.
"I've seen many terrible examples of prejudice against women," Dr. Greengard said on the phone recently. "It's built-in and people don't even realize it. When I first announced the prize, there was an article saying I was giving money to help women in the sciences. I got 500 emails from women, each of which would make you cry. It made me realize the enormous amount of discrimination that still occurs. A lot of women are suffering more than we realize."
This year's Pearl Meister Greengard Prize will be awarded today to McGill University Professor Dr. Brenda Milner for her work in cognitive neuroscience. According to The New York Academy of Sciences, Dr. Milner's work has provided "landmark discoveries in human memory and elucidated the involvement of the brain's temporal lobes in emotional responses, hearing, memory and speech."
In Dr. Milner's case, the prize represents recognition more than encouragement. "She's in her nineties, so you can imagine the battles she's fought," said Dr. Greengard. "She's not received as many awards as she deserves."
Dr. Greengard cites Dr. Milner's ground-breaking, long-term study of a patient -- H.M. -- who suffered from epilepsy and underwent radical brain surgery to try and control seizures. The surgery caused the patient to suffer from amnesia which led to a breakthrough in understanding how the brain works, including the role of the frontal lobes in processing memory and organizing information.
According to Dr. Greengard, there were "practically no women in science" at the time Dr. Milner earned her undergraduate degree from Cambridge in 1939 and her Ph. D. from McGill in 1952. High-level science is difficult enough, but the added pressure of gender discrimination can make it nearly impossible. "I've seen very talented women leave science because of prejudice," Dr. Greengard said.
A recent report from the Council of Graduate Schools shows a steady increase among women earning graduate degrees in the STEM fields -- science, technology, engineering, and math -- over the past decade. "The percentage is increasing," added Dr. Greengard. "There are more women in medical school than men. Still, you look at the academic positions and the higher you go, the fewer women there are."
Dr. Greengard is doing his best to even the score. His own Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience lab at The Rockefeller University boasts a 50/50 gender split, not based on any quota, he's quick to point out. "I don't do Affirmative Action," he said. "I just take the best people."
Greengard and his wife, sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard, created the prize to celebrate a remarkable woman who never had the opportunity to fulfill her potential. The scientist's mother died giving birth to him. "By all accounts, she was a very bright woman," he said. "But she was restricted to doing secretarial work."
Now the name Pearl Meister Greengard is associated with some of the most brilliant minds in science.
*Grade 2, a book in class labels things: Science is for boys, sewing is for girls.
*Grade 3, told that science is boys' stuff by my female homeroom teacher.
*Grade 5, told that my interest in science was "cute" by my male homeroom teacher. A boy in the class with a similar interest was told that it was great and that he could really go places
*Grade 7, told by my female home ec teacher that it's not a woman's place to study science. "Nice girls" don't want to do science. Same year I got a math award for my school, and the trophy was used to beat me up by girls pissed off I got it over a boy.
*Grade 9, brushed off when I asked the male guidance counselor about how to get into science. Same guidance counselor gave a boy advice and encouragement. I should "go home and think real hard" about it, but he "should reach for the stars."
*Grade 10, given a lower mark on a physics assginment than the boy despite having fewer mistakes.
*Grade 12, biology teacher uses my marks to humiliate poorly-performing boys in the class. "C'mon, boys, you don't want a girl do beat you at science, do you?"
No, that wasn't from the 70s. I'm24. If my experience is typical, its a wonder we have as many women in science as we do.
If there is discrimination against women in science, let's name it and fight it.
If not, then let's stop crying wolf.
What if he just had some gas at that moment and you projected your insecurities onto him? Just asking.
"the over 90% skew of males in titled positions"
You prefer to be looked at as a woman first and an individual second?
"the male-themed activities we theme our conferences around (hunting, fishing, etc.)."
Only a minority of men hunt and fish...do you feel you put at any more of a disadvantage by those themes than a man who does not hunt or fish? If so, how so?
"There is a very "boy's club" feel to the science field...and we should be applauding all efforts to abolish it.”"
Nursing and teaching have the opposite of a "boy's club" feel...should we actively work to make those professions more masculine?
*Present when a prof told a new female Master's student that she could be the "cleaning Queen" because [male grad student] shouldn't have to do it as it's women's work.
*Quantum chemistry had the following grade distribution the year I took it: only one female student with a mark over a B, only one male student with a mark below a B-. The next year, the grade distribution was gender-neutral. Same curriculum, different prof.
*First year chem lab prof would roll his eyes and brush off female students who had questions. Male students got plenty of time from him. He tended to be available to offer male students extra help far more than female students, for whom no time didn't conflict with meetings or appointments.
*Second year inorganic chem prof told my male lab partner that he wouldn't be allowed to carry me through the course and that he could switch partners if he wanted. We were the only opposite-sex team in the course.
*I TA labs now. The students will go to my junior, male TA partner to double-check my answers to them... even though he's never worked in an experimental lab and I'm an experimental chemist. Even though he usually just refers them back to me.
*When I express enthusiasm, I'm "cute". When a male grad student expresses enthusiasm, he's "hungry".
Now that it's males who need help, what's happening? Nothing.
It's all about building a passion for science and engineering in the early years. You can bet that I will be bringing Dr. Greengard's article to the teachers for sharing. Thanks for helping us identify more role models and more opportunities for our kids!
Maureen Deery
The Learning Parntership