Susan Bassow earned her PhD in Biology from Harvard University. She started to re-learn her ABC’s when her first daughter was born, and she chose to stay at home full-time to parent. Now with 2 daughters ages 7 and almost 10, Susan fulfills her academic needs by leading after-school science sessions, running the Science Fair, and supporting her daughters’ teachers in scientific and math projects. Her children take great pride in knowing their mother is the known as the school’s “Science Lady!”
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ABC’s and PhD’s: Gender equity in academic science?
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By Susan Bassow
October 29, 2008 1:13 pm
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a law that states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Most typically, this has been used to “equal the playing field,” so to speak, for ...
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ABC’s and PhD’s: Charitable Volunteering
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By Susan Bassow
October 8, 2008 3:42 am
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy spoke these words at his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961. Though we all know this quote by heart, few of us live it daily. We all should be contributing to our communities, as well as our country. We as Mama PhD’s have a lot we can offer to our communities, but all too often find ...
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ABC’s and PhD’s: The Secret Lives of Soccer Moms
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By Susan Bassow
September 16, 2008 9:50 pm
My kids have been playing soccer since they were 4 years old, and just this week, I found out that the mother of one of my youngest daughter’s teammates is an author of a novel. As we watched our 7-year-old daughters warm up before a game, I asked her what her novel was about. Being in the military. Turns out that she graduated from West Point, and had had a full military career before ...
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Back to School with Monarch Butterflies
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By Susan Bassow
August 27, 2008 9:50 pm
There is always an ebb and flow of parenthood, but at this time of year, as the kids all start back to school, I personally feel more of the ebb of life, rather than the flow. I hate packing school lunches for my kids. Unfortunately they usually do not like hot lunches at their school, and I am not all that fond of Lunchables with all their packaging. But I struggle to think of a variety of ...
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ABCs and PhDs: Non-Traditional Academics – “NTAs”, not “SAHMs”
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By Susan Bassow
July 9, 2008 5:41 am
We do not want to enter the typical stay-at-home mom vs. working mom battle – rather we believe that there is a continuum of balancing academic activities with taking care of children. Some women choose to accept an academic position at the best university from which they get an offer; several women choose to take a position at a less prestigious University because they prefer the added ...
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ABC's and PhD's: Creating Programs for Local Elementary Schools
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By Susan Bassow
June 18, 2008 3:29 pm
Non-traditional academics have many skills different from the general population of "parent volunteers" at an elementary school. This provides a unique opportunity for schools to benefit from well-educated parents who have the time and inclination to create programs that supplement school curricula. Here I describe the Science FUN Fridays that I created to motivate and excite the ...
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ABCs and PhDs: It’s the Journey not the Destination
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By Susan Bassow
May 21, 2008 8:07 am
Each year some 57,000 newly awarded PhD’s enter the job market – way too many for all to find positions at desirable (or even less-than-desirable) colleges and universities. Is the time spent working toward a doctoral degree wasted if the PhD is unable to, or chooses not to land a top-notch academic job? No -- absolutely not. I contend that earning a PhD is a totally selfish pursuit. A ...
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