Brains + Beauty

By Meredith Guinness

Chanelle Blake '09 thought she had finished studying for her psychology exam last spring. But each time she stepped out of her room, a friend studying for the same test in the hall would ask her another question.

"Finally, I said, 'C'mon down to my room and let's study together,'" says Blake, a student in the School of Nursing. "I thought I was done studying, but I realized I wasn't. We learned a lot from each other and, by the time we were done, it was midnight or 1 a.m. At that hour of the night, I could never see myself walking to another dorm to study with someone."

Blake didn't even have to walk downstairs. She'd wisely signed up for the first-ever Women in Math and Science Floor, a unique living and learning community providing support to gifted young women as they pursue demanding degrees in what are often male-dominated career paths. About 30 freshman women lived on the Campion Hall floor in 2005-06, taking classes and studying together, and - perhaps most importantly - offering that crucial empathy that can be key to keeping women interested in math and science.

"Having taught freshmen for a number of years, I find that one of the biggest deterrents to staying with a science major is a lack of shared interests with a roommate or friends and a lack of shared commitment to the workload and study habits that are required of science majors," says Dr. Shelley Phelan, associate professor of biology in the College of Arts & Sciences. "If students can find a small peer group, a support base, early on, then they tend to stick it out."

On that score, the floor was ideal: In addition to taking many classes together, the group heard from guest lecturers, and created group study and tutoring sessions, which helped them bond. They also understood the often-rigorous workloads and expectations for science and math majors, and made an extra effort to keep the floor's atmosphere quiet and conducive to study.

On a few nights, tutors in particular disciplines came to the floor lounge, offering assistance for anyone who needed it, says Carol Cirota '09, a biology major.

"It was a great little community," she says. "Every time you have a lab, you have these small questions and it's usually on a weekend and it's so nice to be able to just go and knock on the next door and get the answer. When you're on the floor, everyone is available."

Which is not to say they didn't balance hard work with a little fun: Several of the women joined a field trip to a New York City exhibition on the human body and they had a contest to create a Women in Science and Math T-shirt with "Brains + Beauty" emblazoned across the front.

"One of my prized possessions," quips Dr. David Schmidt, professor of ethics in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business, who worked with the pilot program.

Dr. Phelan says she was excited to be involved in the project, as was Dr. Olivia Harriott, another associate professor of biology who met with the students. Both understand the need for female role models and mentors in math and the sciences. The University has increased the number of women on the science staff but, Dr. Phelan says, it's important for women students to interact with them.

"Women tend to connect with each other in a different way," she says. "There's more conversation, more support. Just saying, ‘I've been through that. I know what that's like.'"

Based on the success of the 2005-06 program, the Office of Residence Life extended the program this year for a new group of 25 students, this time on the first floor of Gonzaga Hall, says Area Coordinator Jason Downer. This year's programming will include a Meet the Professors night, and the students are considering a field trip to a research laboratory on Long Island.

Because this year's program was open to freshman and sophomores, Cirota was one of the first to sign up for another year, becoming an informal mentor herself. As a resident advisor just one floor up in Gonzaga, Blake, too, says she frequently encourages the women on her floor who are taking science and math classes. If she can't answer a question, she's quick to send them downstairs, where she knows they'll find help.

"We're there for the freshmen now, too, so we're hoping to keep more people in (the science and math fields)," Cirota says. "We found we can act to push ourselves and realize we're capable. We can do this."