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the future while still highlighting some of the work that is and ice ca.mp said no women were allowed. Because I was
yet to be done. Personally, I (M.I.) look forward to the day the only one who could calibrate and repair the array, the
when mybrilliant biochemist/biophysicist daughter who is a compromise was to leave me in Thule, Greenland, and fly
senior in college is just a “brilliant biochemist/biophysicist” me up when the array needed work, a 10-hour round-trip in
and not a “female scientist.” a DC-3. Three trips were required, but the experiment was
successful. The following year, my supervisor held the line,
Senior Heeeerchere saying that only he would determine who went to the ice.
('I SSDE-'I SBDE] I was allowed to go, but three of us from the Naval Ocean
Aspiring STEM Mujur Systems Center (NOSC; two men and myself) had to have
“In spring 1964, I was preparing to graduate from high our own tent(s) a mile from the main camp from which I
school and go on to college. Thus, I was talking to a number was banned but the two men were welcome. Toward the
of universities about applying and attending their campuses. end of the experiment, the chief scientist from the main
One of these was Georgetown University, Washington, DC, ca.mp asked for my help with the equipment, which was not
a local school. However, I was told that although I wanted operating correctly. Having proven my worth, he invited me
to major in mathematics, ‘girls’ were not permitted such a back the following year without restriction. Things changed
major there. I went elsewhere.” after I got my PhD, returned to the NOSC, and started
Underwater Acuusticiun leading my Own ice camps“)
“My first job in underwater acoustics (UA) in 1980 was very Nutiunul Institutes ufHeulth Grantee Hopeful
problematic and I almost left the UA field. After four years “I was told by someone at a 1975 study section meeting at
of nonrecognition (no matter how hard I worked and how which my NIH postdoc application was being considered
much I achieved), I found that I could not advance. And that one of the men asked ‘What if she gets pregnant?’ He
not only was I the only female in science in that office (out told me that he responded ‘She’ll have a baby!’ I guess his
of 30), I was the only scientist not promoted in four years. comment did it; I was awarded a three-year postdoc.”
Nor could I get papers published because they had to be
reviewed by my boss who would change words to contradict N'id‘=3"93" n33‘35"°h3"9
my findings and then, in subsequent reviews, would change VI 3305 5° BBHV annual
things back. A nonconverging sequence. E1“'"'i“‘l Engmefl‘
“I went to see about moving internally to another branch. I “I was on.” °:l’_‘thos.e girls “iho was Iigscolllirgledtffsm
was told by the then head of the Division that he had to ‘see’ a care? m d .6 scleglcesid ‘:a:fl:) mub Ste . as a .glr
about things. It turned out that I was actually the fourth female are no goo . m ma. an a 6“ are E er m menlonzmg
_ _ rather than in solving problems. I was also told that if I took
to report “ P“°b’“m Wm’ mat boss’ on“ Prevmus woman was the entrance exam for electrical engineering at the National
told (by my boss’ that she wo"”d no’ he “flowed “ Phone ’n University in Athens Greece I would fail because bo s
her oflice because ‘women talked too much on the phone.’ . ’ ’ Y
Thin s were si ificantly better after the eventual transfer.” trymg for ‘he same sCh.o°1 would do bane.‘ than lug’ -1.-hat
g gn was my challenge. I decided to go for electrical engineering,
University Prufessur although I had no knowledge of what engineers do, because
“As awoman scientist, I have been lucky. While at Columbia that was considered to be the hardest major to get in and
University, New York (in the late 1960s), I don’t think I had complete. Imade it and, thankfully, I liked it. I was intrigued
ever been treated unfairly; I always had absolute freedom by signal processing and computer networking, and I
to do my research without any interference. Although I decided to come to the United States for an MS. My MS
am grateful that I had such a fair and nondiscriminatory advisor was the one who encouraged me to keep going and
working environment at Columbia, I must say that it should complete my PhD. And he continued to encourage me and
always be this way.” be happy for me after my graduation until he passed away. I
Arctic Acuusticiun owe hm’ “ great deal“
“I was scheduled to make my first trip to the ice in 1982 Audio Engineer
to deploy and record an acoustic array under the ice. “I worked as an audio test engineer from 1996 to 2013 at a
Unfortunately, the group managing the overall experiment small- to middle-sized company just north of Silicon Valley
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