Christina Smolke to receive mentor award from Northern California Chapter of Association of Women in Science

Ellen Weaver Award surprises the associate professor of bioengineering, who was nominated by current and former students for helping them balance the demands of research and life.

Stanford bioengineer Christina Smolke was recently delighted and surprised to learn that she had been chosen to receive an award for student mentoring by the Northern California Chapter of the Association for Women in Science (NCC-AWIS).

“I was really touched by this,” Smolke said. “Several of my current and former students put the nomination package together, and I didn’t know about it until I got the email notifying me that I had received this award.”

The award is named for Ellen Weaver, a former San Jose State University professor who began her career as a chemist during the World War II Manhattan Project and remained active in science, teaching and conservation until her death in 2011.

Smolke, an associate professor of bioengineering, will formally receive her Ellen Weaver Award on Monday, April 20, when the NCC-AWIS holds its 21st annual awards and recognition banquet in South San Francisco.

“This really means a lot,” Smolke said. “The reason you stay in academia is because of the impact you can have on the students you train and whose achievements have an impact beyond anything you could do in your own career.”

Associate Professor Christina Smolke with members of her research team: Isis Trenchard, Maureen McKeague and Yanran Li. (Photo: Norbert von der Groeben)

Maureen McKeague, currently a postdoctoral scholar in the Smolke lab, put together the nomination package that included three letters and five testimonials from several of the professor’s present and former postdoctoral scholars and graduate students.

Two of the letter writers, one from a former student and the other from a current postdoc, noted how Smolke helped them balance the demands of research and motherhood.

“I never felt guilty for taking the leave I needed for my baby or any pressure from Christina to change my priorities,” wrote Yanran Li, who currently works in the Smolke lab.

Kate Galloway, now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Southern California, described how, several years ago, Smolke made arrangements that allowed her to complete her PhD despite some complex circumstances that might have otherwise put career and motherhood at odds.

“In 2013, together with Christina, I published my thesis work in Science,” Galloway wrote, adding that when it comes to keeping women in academia, her experience showed that “having an excellent and understanding mentor was essential.”

In a brief testimonial, current PhD candidate Calvin Schmidt noted how he had emailed Smolke a fellowship draft late one night only to be somewhat amazed when he opened his email the next morning to find it had already been carefully edited.

Norbert Pelc, professor of bioengineering and chair of the department, wrote in support of the nomination, detailing how Smolke leads by example and mentors her trainees not only about science but also how to be a scientist. He noted that professor Smolke has served as assistant chair for education, overseeing curriculum, teaching assignments, evaluations and mentoring of teaching assistants.

“She is an exceptional scientist, teacher and mentor,” Pelc wrote. “The complete package.”

Last modified Thu, 2 Apr, 2015 at 8:10