WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

Oregon State University Quarterly Newsletter | Issue VII

July 29, 2020

Upcoming Events
Inside this Issue:
WiS is planning to host workshops and discussions remotely in Fall 2020.
Upcoming Events 1 The schedule is not yet finalized, so please stay connected with us via our
Winter Recap listserv and/or Facebook for the most up to date information!
1
Why the name change?? 2
Spring Recap 2
2020 speaker event 3
BLM Movement 4
Q&A with Caroline Glidden 5
Letter Writing Campaign 6
Outgoing Members 6
About Us 7-8

About WiS
Established in 2007, Womxn in
Science provides support and
resources for womxn in science
at Oregon State University
through organizing social
events and speaker series.
While our organization is called
Womxn in Science, we value
and welcome the membership
and participation of all people
interested or working in
science.
Visit us online:
womeninscienceosu.weebly.com
“Culturally Competent Mentorship” workshop in the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural
Center. PC: I. Sokolovska
Recap of Winter “Allyship in Academia” workshop
Womxn in Science partnered with Women in Policy to run a series titled
“Allyship in Academia” in the 2019-2020 academic year, with the goal of
learning how to support intersecting minoritized identities in the
academic sphere. On March 3, 2020, Dr. Jeff Kenney from OSU's Office
of Institutional Diversity presented about “Culturally Competent
Mentorship”, facilitating an active discussion about the balance of
advocacy and empowerment in the mentor-mentee relationship. The
event was very well attended, and we expect to continue hosting
workshops with Dr. Kenney to provide further opportunities to develop
mentorship skills at OSU.

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WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

WiS Name Change is Empowering and Inclusive

The Executive Board has made the
decision to change the name of our
organization from Women in Science
to Womxn (pronounced woom-uhn)
in Science. We feel that this name
change is both empowering and
inclusive. To understand the basis
for this subtle change, we examine
the etymological origins of the words
‘man’ and ‘woman’. In Old English,
the word man meant ‘person’ or
‘somebody’. In a recent New York
Times article entitled, “What do
Womxn Want?”, Keridwen Luis, a
professor of sociology at Harvard
University, explains that feminists Image from The New York Times.
have long held reservations about
referring to themselves as ‘woman or women’ because, “If you go back to the logical root of the word,
it’s that ‘men’ is the default,” Ms. Luis said. “And in many cases in English, we’ve just reverted to using
the masculine as the default for a lot of things. Waiter and waitress. Actor and actress,” (2019).
Additionally, the word women seems to have evolved from the Old English “wifmann” which carried
connotations of “female man”, “wife” and in extreme cases, “female servant” (Medium, 2017).

At WiS, we recognize the power of language to uphold a culture of patriarchy, and we reject the notion
that language and society should be centered on men by default. Women exist and thrive independently
of men; thus, we choose to refer to ourselves as womxn to distance ourselves from the connections and
dependencies on men that are embedded in the etymological history of the word women. Additionally,
we believe that using the term womxn is more inclusive of our LGBTQ+ colleagues, especially trans and
non-binary folks, and facilitates an organizational culture that celebrates intersectionality.

Recap of Spring Wake Up Coffee Event

PhD candidate in the college of forestry, Pipiet Larasatie facilitated
the WiS spring Wake Up Coffee event ‘Networking in the Time of
Zoom’. Academics now are in a highly digital world where
networking is just as relevant, but face-to-face interactions are
increasingly difficult. Pipiet shared her strategies for making
academic connections, strategies that have helped her achieve eight
peer-reviewed publications so far in her early career. Learn more
about her research, networking, and outreach at her website:
Pipiet Larasatie, from her website
https://www.competitive-forest.com/

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WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

Our 2020 OTL Speaker—Dr. Nancy Turner

This year, WiS partnered with the Ecology, Evolution, and
Conservation Biology Seminar Series to host Dr. Nancy Turner of
the University of Victoria, British Columbia for our ‘Outside the
Lab’ speaker event. The event is titled ‘Outside the Lab’ because
WiS aims to highlight not solely the extraordinary research of our
speakers, but also their experiences promoting diversity and
inclusivity in science. We were honored to bring Dr. Turner to
OSU. Dr. Turner is a renowned researcher as well as a mentor to
Indigenous students and a liaison to policymakers promoting
Indigenous Peoples’ land rights and title.

Dr. Turner’s Story

Dr. Turner is an ethnobotanist whose research intersects botany,
ecology, sociology, and linguistics. Her career has focused on Dr. Turner speaks to OSU in Withycombe
traditional knowledge systems, particularly traditional land and Hall in March, 2020. PC M. Tosa
resource management systems of Indigenous Peoples in the Pacific
Northwest.
We asked her to speak to an area relevant to both her work in British Colombia and Oregon. Her talk,
'“Wild cultivation: Traditional Plant Management Systems of northwestern North America” was
particularly touching to us in Oregon. She spoke about many wild plants (yellow glacier lily, camas,
and currents) native to Oregon and loved by the audience that have been used as a staple food of
Indigenous Peoples for generations. Dr. Turner explained the ways in which knowledge of food plants
and habitats have been retained within communities and her work documenting this knowledge.
Dr. Turner is a storyteller, and the real pleasure of her talk was listening to her account of the people
who have shared knowledge with her, and the stories they have shared.

Acknowledgements
Dr. Turner hopes that listeners of her stories will give
acknowledgement to all who have shared there stories with her,
and to all who have “cared for these lands and waters over
countless generations”, the Kalapuya ancestors, the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, and
other tribes of Oregon. She gives special thanks to Clan Chief
Adam Dick, whose stories and work you can learn about at
https://www.kwaxsistalla.org/

WiS exec board introduce Dr. Turner to a

packed house. PC: M. Tosa

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WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

Recent News
WiS Stands in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement
The last few months have exposed inequities and
systemic racism in our society that continue to
disadvantage Black and Brown members of our
community while uplifting White ones. The WiS
organization recognizes that academia is not insulated
from the issues of systemic oppression and injustice that
plague our nation. The WiS organization was founded to
confront and dismantle gender-based systems of
oppression by supporting our fellow women scientists.
We recognize that many of our BIPOC (Black,
Indigenous, and People of Color) colleagues are
impacted by many systems of oppression based on, for
example, race, gender, sexual orientation, and/or
immigration status. We agree with Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. when he says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere”, and we stand in solidarity with
our BIPOC colleagues and the Black Lives Matter
movement.
We recognize that actions speak louder than words,
especially in these times. Additionally, many of us hold
Peaceful protestors in downtown Corvallis on
power and privilege in our scientific communities, so we
June 7, 2020. Photo from the Orange Media
commit to taking immediate action to dismantle systems
of oppression. In our statement, we committed to four Network.
specific actions:
1) We will amplify the voices of BIPOC scientists through our Outside the Lab Speaker event and
termly newsletters,
2) We will use our Allyship in Academia series to help educate the OSU community in terms of how
to best support their fellow scientists and create an anti-racist community,
3) We encourage our members to participate in these existing anti-racist trainings and add known
resources/trainings to our curated list,
4) We will better use our voice to encourage the Graduate School and the Corvallis community to do
more for our BIPOC community members.
We plan to build upon this initial list as we grow and evolve as an organization. We strongly
encourage our members to reach out with critique, feedback, and ideas.

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WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

Spotlight: Outgoing WiS Exec. Members

Caroline Glidden
Caroline has been the co-president of WiS since 2018. During
that time, Caroline has been instrumental in bringing in two
renowned speakers to OSU, organizing countless events
highlighting women and underrepresented groups in STEM, and
championing WiS’s new campaigns including mentorship
training and allyship in academia. We are so grateful for
Caroline’s hard work over these past 2+ years. We asked her a
few questions about her time with WiS:
Q: What action with WiS are you most proud of?
R: Outside the Lab Speaker events (Dr. Jane Zelikova in 2019 and Dr. Nancy Turner in 2020)!
Each year, the executive board worked really hard to coordinate the event and both seminars
seemed to be well received across campus. I think I was especially proud that we invited such
amazing women —Jane and Nancy have both done really inspirational/progressive work that
centers on the advancement of women and intersecting/minority identifying people in STEM.
It was especially fun to bring together students from different departments to hear assorted
perspectives on inclusivity in science during Jane’s graduate student lunch.

Q: What event did you most enjoy organizing/attending?

R: My favorite events to attend and organize were part of the Allyship in Academia series. I
learned a lot during Pamela Devan-Song’s session on Institutional vs. Individual Allyship as
well as Dr. Jeff Kenney’s session on Culturally Competent Mentorship. The series primarily
taught me that I have so much to learn about how to support minoritized colleagues and
students in STEM. The different sessions provided me with a great jumping off point in terms
of the different resources available to actively learn how to be a good colleague and mentor.

Q: What actions/changes are you most excited about seeing in the future for WiS?
R: I think that WiS has a lot of great ideas for future actions/changes— it is hard to choose just
one! I am really excited about WiS amplifying BIPOC scientists through the newsletter as well
as recruiting undergraduate participants. I also think the candidates for this year’s Outside the
Lab speaker event are amazing so I look forward to seeing who WiS brings to campus (or Zoom
depending on the state of the pandemic)!

Q: Any parting words for WiS members?

R: It was such a great experience to work with so many talented scientists on the executive
board as well as hear the thoughts/opinions of the WiS members at each event. I learned so
much from you all! I hope WiS continues to grow as an OSU support network, especially for
BIPOC OSU community members.

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WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

Calling For an End to Police Brutality: A Letter Writing Campaign

On June 10th, there was a global call to #ShutDownSTEM for one day in order to focus on self-education
and specific actions plans to dismantle systemic racism in our country, in academia, and in each of our
disciplines and labs. To this end, during #ShutDownSTEM, WiS Executive Board member, Whitney
Fleming, organized a virtual letter writing campaign to enable and empower people to write to their
elected officials demanding an end to police brutality. Whitney shared a helpful presentation from an
group of activists in Seattle which included a brief history of national and local policing policy, a template
letter, and four potential asks:
1) Defund/Divest from the police,
2) Fund community based health and safety,
3) Increase Accountability and transparency of police union oversights, and
4) Release protestors and drop all charges.
The presentation, and a list of our local elected officials and contact information, has been made
available by Whitney here. We hope that these materials encourage the WiS membership to advocate for
changes they want to see!

Spotlight: Outgoing WiS Exec. Members

Whitney Fleming
WiS would like to acknowledge the contribution of Whitney to
our executive board. As a public relations officer this past year,
she was key in organizing our Outside the Lab Speaker and
Wake Up Coffee events and contributed new ideas and content.
Her work compiling resources and organizing a letter writing
campaign can be viewed above.

Dr. Brooke Petaluna

Brooke has supported WiS as a faculty advisor since 2018. She has
been critical in making valuable connections, meeting with speakers,
and supporting WiS in all of the groups endeavors. The board has
benefited from her suggestions and support these past two years.

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WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

About Us: Executive Board

Kelsey Lane - Co-President
Kelsey is a Masters student in the Marine Resource Management program transitioning to a
PhD in the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. She studies a microscopic shelled
plankton called foraminifera and their distribution off the Oregon coast. Kelsey is a licensed
captain who spent seven years working on tall ships before graduate school. Her passion is get-
ting others excited about science and making STEM inclusive for all.

Haley Cynar - Co-President

Haley is a PhD student in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. Her research
is focused on ocean primary productivity in the Arctic Ocean, which she studies by measuring
dissolved gases produced by phytoplankton. Haley is excited to work with WiS on bringing down
barriers in science to create a more welcoming climate that supports diversity and inclusivity.

Olivia Boyd—Outgoing Treasurer

Olivia is a PhD student in the Integrative Biology department. Her research focuses on under-
standing the evolution of a species-diverse tribe of tiny predatory ground beetles using DNA se-
quence data and morphology. She is motivated by our rapidly increasing ability to gain new sci-
entific insights through visual observation. Olivia is interested in microscopy, 3D imaging, and
scientific illustration. She believes that one key to increasing public awareness and enthusiasm
for science lies in its intersection with art.

Marie Tosa - Communications Officer

Marie is a PhD student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Her research focuses on
understanding terrestrial food web dynamics of the Pacific Northwest forests, particularly the
role of small mammalian carnivores (i.e., western spotted skunks). Marie is a second generation
Japanese-American and hopes that WiS can provide support and encouragement to colleagues
in STEM fields.

Theresa Fritz-Endres - Public Relations/Newsletter

Theresa is a PhD student in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences studying cal-
cifying marine microorganisms and their use as proxies for climate change. Theresa is interested
in sharing science with the community and is looking forward to writing about these opportuni-
ties in the WiS Newsletter.

Rachael Aber - Incoming Treasurer

Rachael is a PhD student in the Department of Integrative Biology. Her research utilizes compu-
tational and data science approaches to investigate the ecology of viruses. Rachael is passionate
about supporting womxn in quantitative fields, and in STEM generally!

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WiS at Oregon State University —Spring Term Newsletter

Kirsten Steinke - Public Relations/Partnerships

Kirsten is a PhD student in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences studying the
response of marine zooplankton, primarily Antarctic and Northern California Current krill, to
perturbations in their environment. She will work on sharing information and developing new
partnerships with other women and minority in STEM focused groups.

Megan Wilson - Public Relations/Newsletter

Megan is a PhD candidate in the Integrative Biology Department. Megan studies the early life
stages of marine fishes in order to improve our understanding of the role of variable oceano-
graphic and trophic conditions on nearshore groundfish recruitment dynamics, especially in the
face of climate change. Megan is excited to work with WiS to increasing access, inclusion, and
equity for all womxn in STEM.

Jennifer Fehrenbacher - Faculty Advisor

Jennifer is an Assistant Professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. Her
primary research interests include understanding the effect of present and past climate change
on marine calcifiers, biomineralization processes, and paleo-proxy development and applica-
tion.

A note from the editors: Theresa, Haley, and Megan

We are excited to report to you inspiring updates

CONTACT US:
We’re always looking for
new ways to engage the
OSU community. If you
have an idea for a future
event, please reach out to
our leadership team.
We are excited about
growing our initiatives to
achieve equity and full
participation for all
and upcoming events from Womxn in Science, OSU.
We hope to use this space to highlight the research
that womxn and underrepresented groups in STEM
are conducting at Oregon State University and in CONNECT
our broader community. We welcome your stories,
WITH US!
pictures, and updates and are always accepting
information at fritzent@oregonstate.edu; WIS Facebook Page
cynarh@oregonstate.edu;
WIS Website
wilsomeg@oregonstate.edu.
Look for our next updates coming to you in Fall Subscribe to our Listserv
term!