KU's women of chemistry lead the nation

When Kristin Bowman-James arrived at KU in 1975, she was the only female faculty member in the chemistry department. But 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."

Kristin Bowman-James, middle row at left, chair of the chemistry department from 1995 to 2001, and other women on the chemistry faculty have won national recognition. Aaron Paden/ KU University Relations

Very impressive, in fact. The seven female professors in KU's Department of Chemistry account for 29 percent of faculty. That gives 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.

The national average among the top 50 chemistry departments is only 12 percent.

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.

"There still might be a glass ceiling, but we've definitely put a dent in it," said Bowman-James, now a professor of chemistry at KU.

As chair of the chemistry department from 1995 to 2001, Bowman-James 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 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, because 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.

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.

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