Pioneer Member

Che Chereskin – When I finished my Ph.D. in 1982, there were few female role models in the biological sciences. Beth was a standout. First, she was a woman. Second, she worked out of the Radiation Biology Laboratory, part of the Smithsonian and a bit isolated. She did not have access to graduate students and was the only female chief scientist from among about ten other chief scientists working at that facility. Of those, only a few were in the biological sciences and all were men. Some were not very active. In contrast, Beth had a lively laboratory filled with visiting scientists and postdocs from all over the world. But perhaps what I valued most about Beth was her unfailing kindness and support. She greeted me at the Amtrak station when I arrived, took me into her home and fed me breakfast the next morning. I was startled to see this famous scientist in an apron, whipping up eggs and bacon for me and her family. In the lab, she indulged (most of) my ideas. She was opinionated, but always supportive as I struggled to chart my scientific career (I ended up in Patent Law). The life lessons and attitudes towards scientific research that I learned in my three years with Beth have stayed with me throughout my life.

Chelle Youmans – Dr. Gantt was always kind and generous while still being very serious and dedicated to our phycological studies. She was excellent at keeping a good sense of humor while simultaneously goading us on to achieve our laboratory and educational goals. Dr. Gantt was inspiring. I will never forget the dinner we had at the National Academy of Sciences when Carl Sagan was the featured speaker! Dr. Gantt was encouraging. I discovered my love of teaching during my graduate school TA assignments. Finally, Dr. Gantt helped me to become an author! Our lab produced a joint paper so that everyone in the lab would have at least one published paper! My graduate studies and experiences with Dr. Gantt enabled me to encourage and relate to my own daughter when she earned her doctorate in nuclear engineering!