IN SCIENCE

Words by Andrea Arnston

Design Lounge

When Wendy Reed accepted a position as an assistant professor in biological sciences, there were only seven female professors out of 145 full professors employed at NDSU. Fifteen years later, she is the first female to be tenured and promoted to head of the department in biological sciences, a position which many say is one of the most challenging due to the numerous responsibilities that come with it. Reed, however, sees her position as one that allows her to have the most impact on people.

“I feel like I make a positive difference for the careers of the students, faculty and staff in my department, which makes this position very satisfying," she said. “The people I work with motivate me.”

Reed grew up in Alma, Mich., and comes from a family of educators. Her grandparents, father and mother are all school teachers. Continuing the tradition seemed only natural. “I was always interested in traveling, animal biology and the outdoors,” Reed said. “I wanted a career that combined those interests.”

Her college experience, which included graduating with her Bachelor of Arts from Kalamazoo College and moving on to obtain her Ph.D. at Iowa State, greatly influenced her career direction. The two things in particular that gave her the nudge were studying abroad in Spain and gaining experience from working with a professor―things she strongly advises her students to do.

Her background has provided her with the opportunities to combine her love of science with travel, going places such as Antarctica to study penguins, Chile, India, Germany and across Europe.

“In college, I worked on a project looking at eggs and hatchlings of Double Crested Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls and I’m still working on bird eggs today!” she said affectionately.

Working in a male-dominated field, Reed reflected on the hurdles women in science have to face that can be gradual, harmful and often times hidden. “I am very aware of the importance of having role models of success and being a positive mentor for other female scientists who are at earlier stages of their careers, hopefully to smooth the road out for others to succeed.”

NDSU has been making strides to help promote and advocate for their female demographic by receiving a National Science Foundation grant (NDSU Forward) to support all faculty of NDSU, regardless of gender. “The grant activities and people have had a significant impact on my development as a leader and mentor in science,” Reed said.

Reed’s next project involves working with husband and supporter Mark. She intends to study a population of Franklin Gull, a species whose breeding grounds are specific to North Dakota and Canadian wetlands where they lay and hatch their eggs before migrating to South America. She’s looking forward to following the path of the Franklin Gull from North Dakota and Canada down to South America and comparing early season hatchlings to late season hatchlings to see what more she can learn from her travels. [AWM]