Professor was Guest Speaker on Balancing Academic Life and Motherhood

Dr. Helen Boylan, Westminster College associate professor of chemistry and a 1995 Westminster graduate, was a guest lecturer for a graduate level course on academic management Feb. 25 at the University of Pittsburgh.

Boylan's talk, "The Dual Role of Academic Motherhood: A Woman Scientist's Perspective," focused on the balance between academic life and the role of motherhood.

"Women in academia tend to lag behind their male counterparts with respect to promotion and tenure, in part because the biological clock typically aligns with the tenure clock," Boylan said. "Women scientists considering motherhood face unique challenges because they are tied to a laboratory to do research and because of potential exposure concerns during pregnancy."

In addition to presenting research on the topic, Boylan, a mother of two, shared her personal story on becoming a mother during her pre-tenure period.

Boylan, who has been with Westminster since 2001, earned an undergraduate degree from Westminster College and Ph.D. from Duquesne University.

Contact Boylan at (724) 946-6293 or e-mail boylanhm@westminster.edu for more information.

Dr. Helen Boylan