The Importance of Female Mentorship
How the CICOES REU Program Changed My Perspective on the Term “Woman in STEM”
By Leila Fischer, Willamette University
“Good luck! I love my woman in STEM! ~ Eva” reads the sticky note that’s been taped to my laptop for over a year now. My roommate wrote it when I left my Organic Chemistry notes all over our kitchen table after a particularly late night of studying for a midterm and it’s been stuck there ever since. Until recently, I always felt that the term “woman in STEM” implied a loneliness or solitude within a woman’s career of choice, or an indication of the sacrifices women make to receive the same recognition as their male peers. However, my summer research internship at CICOES caused me to reflect on what it means to be a “woman in STEM” and how the presence of female-identifying mentors on my journey as an aspiring scientist influences my long-term career goals.
Last summer, the CICOES Research Experience for Undergrads provided the opportunity for me to work with PhD candidate Emma Heitmann and her advisor Professor Kate Huntington doing isotope geochemistry research. Since learning about the use of isotopes as a form of proxy data during my very first semester of college, I’ve been interested in research opportunities that include isotope chemistry. This was the perfect opportunity for me to unite my fascination with chemistry on the microscopic scale and my passion for studying the Earth’s processes on a macroscopic scale.
From my very first moments as an intern, Emma and Kate made every effort to welcome my presence in the lab group, and strove to find ways to enrich my research experience with unique learning opportunities. I was given my own desk in an office with graduate students, introduced to researchers in the lab from other subdisciplines, and allowed to pursue projects that interested me. For example, as a chemistry major, I understood the chemical processes behind my research much better than the geological aspects. Emma managed to secure a spot for me on a field trip to the Chuckanut Mountains with UW’s senior geology field camp class, which gave me experience working on a geological field project and also provided connections with other undergraduates with similar interests in the earth sciences.
The CICOES summer internship program was an invaluable experience for both academic and personal reasons, and one of the most impactful aspects of it was Emma and Kate’s advising.
In order to better contextualize what kind of work I would have the resources to do during my research experience and the types of questions Emma and Kate were asking, I had to read up on a lot of past research efforts on the Colorado Plateau, including materials from Emma’s PhD General Exam. I learned that despite the Colorado Plateau being one of the most well-known landforms in the United States, there is little understanding of its topographic history. Marine sediment deposits have been documented all over the region, yet there is no confirmed hypothesis of what earth processes caused the plateau to uplift from sea level to the 2,000 m elevation it exists at today.
The unsolved mystery of the Colorado Plateau’s topographic history really intrigued me, so I designed a study of how climate and topography changed on the Colorado Plateau during the Miocene (around 10-20 million years ago), using clumped isotopic compositions of carbonates that precipitated out of ancient lakes. My analysis showed temperature changes in line with the global climate record, but also showed potential signs of topography change because we observed a steeper temperature decrease during the time period than the climate record suggests. The results of this research have the potential to guide future research on the Colorado Plateau and contribute to our evolving understanding of the formation of both the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau.
Doing research in an Earth Science department made me realize how many exciting research paths there are in this field. I was also impressed with how researchers in this field collaborate across institutions, and how scientific endeavors are shared to help accelerate others’ work. Going into my CICOES internship, I was already fascinated with how large-scale earth processes from millions of years ago can be traced on the atomic scale. Coming out of this research experience, I am now confident that this is a career path I want to pursue, and I feel equipped with the skills needed to conduct graduate level research.
Emma and Kate proved to be great mentors, due to their scientific expertise, passion for their field of study, and coordinated efforts to make my research experience unique and applicable to my future. In addition to these assets, I also witnessed their successes as women in research and could envision my future self in their endeavors.
Although my experience working with Kate and Emma was a final push in the direction of a research career, prior to working with them there have been several women in my life who were just as impactful to my future in the sciences: My mom, who adamantly encourages me to dream big for myself and has proofread literally hundreds of application statements for me. Professor Karen Arabas, who encouraged me to join her dendrochronology lab group during my freshman year of college, and who has continued to support all my research endeavors. Kayla Fermin and Carla Cole, supervisors at my first internship at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park who taught me how to be resilient, both physically and mentally, while working long days in the field. Professor Karen Holman, who saw my potential as a general chemistry student and convinced me to double major in both Chemistry and Environmental Science, despite my own self-doubt. And Kyrstin Calleja, my trusted lab partner for the past two years, who I am forever bonded with by our joyous laughter and tears of frustration together.
It is the resilience, intellect, and passion from these women in their respective roles that has changed my perspective and redefined the term “woman in STEM” to reflect the community and inspiration I have found in other woman scientists and their work. In a recent review publication of mentorship programs for women in sciences, it was found that “women’s experiences in STEM fields are enhanced when they have strong mentors and facilitators to support their work.” My positive personal experiences are corroborated by peer-reviewed journals, which further illustrates the importance of female mentorship.
The CICOES summer internship program was an invaluable experience for both academic and personal reasons, and one of the most impactful aspects of it was Emma and Kate’s advising. I am grateful to everyone at CICOES who makes this program possible and creating a space for aspiring scientists to find community and allyship in their field.