Mildred S. Dresselhaus to Speak on "Perspectives on Women in Science" at Brookhaven Lab, March 19

UPTON, NY - Mildred S. Dresselhaus will give a lecture titled "Perspectives on Women in Science" at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory on Monday, March 19, at 4 p.m. in Berkner Hall. Dresselhaus is former director of DOE's Office of Science and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Sponsored by Brookhaven Women in Science, the free lecture is open to the public.

Dresselhaus will discuss a recent study of the status of senior women faculty in the MIT School of Science, which she says shows that commitment from top management in areas of resource allocation and socialization is needed to enhance the position of women in scientific careers. She will also offer perspectives on opportunities for women in science in the context of post- World War II developments, recent discussions of the MIT report, and positive efforts made by the federal government.

Mildred Dresselhaus served as director of DOE's Office of Science from August 2000 to January 2001. A solid-state physicist, Dresselhaus holds appointments at MIT in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Department of Physics.  She began her association with MIT in 1960.

Dresselhaus is nationally known for her work in developing wider opportunities for women in science and engineering. Almost 30 years ago, Dresselhaus and a colleague organized the first Women's Forum at MIT as a seminar exploring the roles of women in science and engineering. The forum is now an annual event.

From 1997 to 1998, Dresslhaus was president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's largest general science organization, and from 1998 to 1999, she chaired the AAAS Board of Directors. She has also served as president of the American Physical Society and treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Dresselhaus has received numerous honors and awards, including 17 honorary doctorates and the National Medal of Science, awarded in 1990.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Dresselhaus earned a B.A. from Hunter College in 1951.  She was a Fulbright Fellow at Cambridge University and received an M.A. from Radcliffe College, Harvard University, in 1953. In 1958, she earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. From 1958 to 1960, she was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University.

For more information, call 631 344-2345.  Brookhaven Lab is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.