059: All Hail Females: Women in Science with Joan Bennett

microTalk

Despite comprising half of the population, women are underrepresented as scientific professionals. The reasons for underrepresentation are multi-factorial.

Dr. Joan Bennett is a Professor at Rutgers University who studies fungi; she is a past president of the American Society of Microbiology, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Throughout her career, Bennett has taken a special interest in the advancement of women in science and she continues to work on behalf of women’s issues at local, national, and international levels.

Bennett talks about how women’s scientific accomplishments have been frequently overlooked, what individuals can do to address gender disparity, how she’s proud of the ASM for promoting female scientists, how studying mycotoxins took advantage of the knowledge of antibiotic production by fungi, how fungal volatile compounds make mushrooms taste delicious, and how fungi got their revenge on her after Hurricane Katrina.

The microCase for listeners to solve is about Tess Tamoni, a retired teacher who gets a nasty infection while on vacation at a tropical resort.

Participants: Karl Klose, Ph.D. (UTSA) Joan Bennett, Ph.D. (Rutgers University) Janakiram Seshu, Ph.D. (UTSA) Mylea Echazarreta (UTSA)