Meet five Southern Illinois women in science

Photo Credit: GrrlScientist / Flickr Creative Commons

The sciences have been a male-dominated field and there are many different reasons that are offered to explain why.

There are many women, including those featured here, who have found success in scientific fields despite the challenges. The women in these photographs are a small representation (or sample size, in scientific jargon) of women working in science in Southern Illinois, but they are positive examples of the opportunities that the sciences present.

Each of the featured scientists came to science in a different way and for a different reason. Some were influenced early on by teachers or guidance counselors, such as Dawn Grisley, who credits her high school science teacher, Pete Moake, who taught at Johnston City High School. She says Moake “let me dissect anything.” Grisley also had a mentor in her colleague Maureen Doran who recruited her to work in histology — the study of animal and plant tissues — at Saffron Scientific Histology Services. Read more.

How Hiring Women Other Businesses Won't Has Made 'All The Difference'

Robert Frost suggested that taking the road less traveled made all the difference. The Women's Bean Project, a nonprofit in Denver, Colorado, employs only women generally considered unemployable. For nearly 30 years, the social enterprise has worked to help women learn to work by giving them jobs; that is how they make a difference.

The "Bean," as insiders know it, was recently selected by REDF, a national organization that supports social enterprises like the Bean, that "provide jobs, support, and training to people who would otherwise have a tough time getting into the workforce," for a growth investment, according to Carla Javits, President and CEO of REDF.

The Bean, according to CEO Tamra Ryan, generates $2.2 million in revenue and employs 75 women. The business generates a modest gross margin on sales of gourmet dried food products of just 8 percent. The organization's other costs are funded by grants and donations. Read the story in Forbes.