Women in Science Wednesdays

While women fill close to half of all jobs in the United States, they hold less than 25 percent of positions within the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Even as college-educated women have increased their share in the overall workforce, our country’s science and technology sectors continue to lack a female presence.

To help close this gap, UNC research is sharing their stories — from the depths of the ocean to the crest of a mountain, with projects that impact our state, the nation, and the world. Carolina’s female scientists from all areas of STEM are making waves in the world of research. Join us each week as our scientists share their unique perspectives on the rigors of research, and advice for other women in their fields.

Lucy Gorham

September 21, 2016

Lucy Gorham is the executive director of the UNC Center for Community Capital within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on the products, services, and public policies that hold promise for increasing the economic stability and upward mobility of low- and moderate-wealth households and communities.

Pranavi Sanka

September 14, 2016

Senior Pranavi Sanka is an undergraduate researcher in the UNC College of Arts & Sciences, majoring in biology and computer science, with a minor in chemistry. Her research focuses on developing new therapies for a subset of breast cancer. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school with the goal to become a primary care physician.

Nancy Allbritton

September 7, 2016

Nancy Allbritton is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry and chair of the UNC/NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. Her research focuses on using techniques from chemistry, physics, engineering, and materials science to develop new technologies for biomedical applications.

Kaylyn Gootman

August 31, 2016

Kaylyn Gootman is a PhD student in the Curriculum in Environment and Ecology within the UNC College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on the interaction of groundwater and surface water, as well as geochemistry — the study of the chemical composition of rocks and minerals.

Erika Wise

August 24, 2016

Erika Wise is an associate professor of geography in the UNC College of Arts & Sciences, head of the Climate & Tree Ring Environmental Science research group, and an affiliate faculty member within the Institute for the Environment. Her research focuses on tree ring patterns and deciphering what they tell us about climate change.

Vidya Venkataramanan

August 17, 2016

Vidya Venkataramanan is a PhD student studying environmental sciences and engineering within The Water Institute at UNC. Her research focuses on understanding the application and effectiveness of sanitation behavior change interventions, specifically Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS).

Wizdom Powell

August 10, 2016

Wizdom Powell is a health behavior professor in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, as well as a trained population health disparities research scientist and clinical psychologist. Her research focuses on addressing the social determinants of health inequities among boys and men of color.

Avery Paxton

August 3, 2016

Avery Paxton is a marine ecologist, conservation biologist, and doctoral candidate at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences. Her research uses a combination of field, laboratory, and analytical methods to address fundamental, mechanistic questions in marine ecology, such as how species use their habitat and how communities are structured.

Meaghan Nazareth

July 27, 2016

Rising senior Meaghan Nazareth is a biostatistics major and chemistry minor within the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She conducts research with the UNC STARx Program, which seeks to understand self-management and transition from pediatric to adult-focused health care.

Diane Pozefsky

July 19, 2016

Diane Pozefsky is a research professor and director of undergraduate studies in the UNC College of Arts & Sciences Department of Computer Science. Pozefsky’s expertise includes software engineering and the social, legal, and ethical issues concerning information technology. She also helped build the networks for the 1998 Nagano Olympics and the IBM Corporation.