UC Davis Women Geoscientists of ’77 Donate Funds to Support Next Generation
In the geosciences, 27% of faculty are women, while UC Davis' Earth and Planetary Science Department boasts a 45% female faculty ratio.
Forty-seven years after graduating from UC Davis, six geology alumnae fondly recalled the sense of inclusion and confidence faculty and teaching assistants instilled in them. They wanted to enable that same motivation in others. The cohort donated $1,200 to be awarded to two women studying in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (EPS).
Graduate students Qianyi Lu and Yvonne Leon were each awarded $600 from the funding to cover travel expenses to the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Conference in San Francisco, an annual gathering where 25,000 visitors from over 100 countries convene to share findings and network.
Despite the male-dominance in geoscience, the cohort of donors says the sense of support they received from UC Davis coupled with their own diligence permitted them to excel as their careers took different paths. “Our cohort had roughly 16 students back then, but half of ours were women,” says Barbara Cosens, Distinguished Professor Emerita in the College of Law at the University of Idaho. “We were one of the first cohorts with a significant number of women.”
According to the American Geosciences Institute, 44% of undergraduate geoscience students- and 46% of graduate students- were women in 2019, compared to 23% of undergraduates- and 15% of graduates, indicating an increase toward equal gender representation. Moreover, the national average of women faculty is 27% today. For EPS, women account for 45% of faculty.
Lu, a doctoral student at EPS, says the unexpected recognition brought relief from the financial burden of travel expenses to San Francisco, where hotel rates are the third most expensive in the U.S. The alleviation allowed her to focus primarily on connecting with other professionals attending the AGU conference. Relocating from China to the U.S. seven years ago, Lu says the program has had a very supportive environment. “We have equal gender representation, so it’s been great being here,” says Lu.
In the EPS lab, Lu focuses on researching the Earth’s mantle, using VR technology to analyze seismic data generated by CT scans, unveiling the planet's interior structure. “I’m excited about researching deep Earth mantle dynamics.”
Lu presently serves as the Vice President of the Association of Women Geoscientists for the UC Davis Student Chapter. The association provides mentorship pairing between graduate and undergraduate students and rents outdoor gear at no cost to students. “We’re not just trying to help women, but all people to thrive in their programs.”
With her lodging covered for the AGU Conference, Leon also says she was able to center her attention on networking with attendees. “I had a fantastic time presenting work and meeting fellow geoscientists,” she says. “This experience reminded me of how uplifting the scientific community can be, and for that, I am forever grateful.”
Leon is a quaternary geologist in the Master of Science program at EPS. Her research focuses on the discrepancy between geodetic and geologically measured slip rates, and understanding the relative plate motion between the North American and Pacific plates. She works in a new fault zone named the Long Valley Fault Zone in the Long Valley Caldera where seismicity is frequent.
Leon fulfilled her latter three years of undergrad at UC Davis after transferring from a community college. During her senior year, her current mentor offered her a spot in the master’s program. “I didn’t grow up around anyone that did research or studied any area of science in college,” says Leon. “My parents migrated from Mexico to the U.S. and now I’m a first-generation graduate student, so this was an introduction to research for me.” Leon is set to finish her graduate program this year.
“I experienced considerable discrimination after graduating and it is still an uphill battle for women especially now that there is starting to be a backlash in some areas," says Cosens. “The women from our group are amazing, they remained in the field of geology, and it helped all of us that we had each other.”
Meanwhile, Lu and Leon are ambitiously charting their career paths. “I would like to continue in academia because I enjoy doing research on a broad range of topics,” says Lu. Meanwhile, Leon is also looking to pursue her doctorate degree. “I just want to work for a year in an industry job before starting a Ph.D.”