From Stony Brook Women Faculty: Inspiring the Next Generation on Stony Brook University News, March 5, 2021
They are world-renowned scientists, groundbreaking researchers and beloved professors. They are also trusted advisors, caring mentors, loving mothers and good listeners.
Women faculty at Stony Brook University have shown remarkable resilience this year, cultivating rigorous classroom environments and involved research projects while balancing the challenges of working from home during unprecedented circumstances. They have been an inspiration to their students and to colleagues as well, and during Women’s History Month, we recognize those women who have been role models to countless people across the university, and indeed, the world.
“At Stony Brook, diversity is a part of our fabric and we have always embraced a variety of backgrounds, ideas and perspectives,” said Interim Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos. “We are incredibly proud of the distinguished women on our faculty, who inspire our students and contribute to our highly diverse campus community. I am honored to work with faculty of this caliber, and learn from these highly accomplished women every day.”
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a faculty in which students can see models of success for themselves, and with whom they can connect intellectually and personally. – President Maurie McInnis
“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a faculty in which students can see models of success for themselves, and with whom they can connect intellectually and personally,” said Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis. “I myself wish I’d had even more women role models in my career, and am so grateful for those who helped me develop the confidence and curiosity that allowed me to pursue my goals.”
President McInnis recalled one of her earliest role models, her high school biology teacher, Sheila Jacobstein, who “encouraged me to take on leadership positions, challenge myself, and believe in my ambitions.”
“I remain inspired by her talent as an educator and the enormous joy she derived from helping students find the best in themselves,” McInnis added. “In Stony Brook University, I see a reflection of both what profoundly impacted me as a student, and the kind of educational institution I believe can change the world.”
What follows is a representative but by no means complete selection of faculty from our colleges and schools, chosen by the deans, that includes testimonials from current and former students, mentees and colleagues that illustrate how the faculty have impacted their lives and the university itself.
The featured SoMAS faculty are Dr. Jackie Collier and Dr. Anne McElroy. View the complete list at Stonybrook.edu.
Associate Professor
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
Jackie began inspiring me before I even agreed to attend Stony Brook University. Our first meeting was virtual and her two cats were crawling over her as she calmly asked about my research questions and what I hoped to achieve in grad school. From then on, I have striven to be that comfortable and confident in both my personal and academic life. I have also modeled myself after Jackie by advocating for myself and others in the face of prejudice and assumptions, especially in academia.
Even though I have left grad school, I know I will continue emulating Jackie and will carry little bits of advice and wisdom gleaned from her for the rest of my life. This includes letting cats crawl over me at any opportunity. – Kylie Langlois
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
Anne is a rare kind of mentor who leads not with just her head, but also with her heart. Many professors can develop research projects and teach a class, but few can support students with the compassion that Anne does. It’s her empathetic leadership that allows Anne to compete for research grants while supporting her students’ mental wellbeing, to establish innovative partnerships while fighting for equity and inclusion in STEM, and produce high class research while living a full and rich life (and encouraging her students to do the same).
Anne’s support and encouragement inspired me to push my dissertation in new and bold directions, to lead with empathy, and to choose to be a good person before a good scientist.
– Irvin Huang
