new church life: jan uary/february 2016
concern these days about the need for
more women to participate in fields
called STEM: science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. The
desired goal is surely not a flip from
one dominant gender to another, but
evenness, and mutual cooperation
and respect. She saw it as important
for the good of the whole that she and
other women make contributions to
the field of science, and that took a
great deal of hard work on her part,
and considerable support from her
husband and children as well.
To get a glimpse of her work in
science, let’s review her Curriculum Vitae for a moment. Her full C.V. from
2012 is an impressive 17 pages long. I will merely summarize.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany in 1978 from Duke
University; a Master of Science degree in Marine Sciences from the University
of Delaware in 1982, and a Ph.D. in Paleoecology from Johns Hopkins
University in 1993, working with palynologist Grace Brush.
Sherri was assistant director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Marine Research
Program from 1993-1995 and a research professor at the Duke University
Wetland Center from 1995-1999. Then she became an associate professor at
Bryn Athyn College, head of its Mathematics and Science Division, director of
its biology program, fund raiser and co-designer of its Doering Center, chair
of its Research Committee, a researcher, teacher, mentor, and a member of 17
different committees at various times.
We also learn from her C.V. that she was certified as a Senior Ecologist by
the Ecological Society of America.
Her C.V. lists:
• 12 papers in refereed jour nals, including an article published in Science
in 1991 when she was a mere graduate student, which is still being cited
• 10 refereed reports or chapters in books
• 45 published abstracts of presentations at conferences
• 13 technical reports she authored
• Eight grants she was awarded, some for hundreds of thousands of dollars
• 40 seminars and presentations she gave, 13 workshops she participated
in, and two symposia she organized
• Four professional societies in which she was an active member
She saw it as important
for the good of the
whole that she and
other women make
contributions to the
field of science, and
that took a great deal of
hard work on her part.
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