Professors Regina Baucom, Associate Chair, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Monique Ward, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Psychology and Professor of Psychology, both of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Jessica Tischler, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Natural Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, U-M Flint; and Jenna Wiens, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering, will receive the 2023 Sarah Goddard Power Award.

The awards, given by the Academic Women’s Caucus, will be presented from 3-5:30 p.m. Feb. 7 in the Koessler Room of the Michigan League, 911 N. University Ave.  Named after the late University of Michigan Regent Sarah Goddard Power, the award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the betterment of women through their leadership, scholarship, or other ways in their professional life. The awards ceremony will conclude with a 30-minute carillon concert from 5-5:30 p.m., performed by Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra who will premiere her original work, “Empower,” in honor of Sarah Goddard Power.

Baucom joined the faculty of EEB in 2013 and “has been working tirelessly in many ways to make the academy more welcoming to and supportive of women as well as members of other groups underrepresented in our field since then,” said her colleague, Patricia Wittkopp, in a nominating letter. Some of her work promoting the betterment of women includes the co-development and maintenance of a social media presence and posts on DiversifyEEB, a publicly available database of more than 1,800 women and/or other marginalized scientists to help search committees, award committees, and editors of journals build a diverse candidate pool for critical career-building opportunities. She has also promoted women in science through her scholarship – through her work on gender representation in the scientific review process or by the promotion of research and scholarship of other women and minorities.

Throughout her career, Ward has aimed to improve our understanding of how young women’s experiences with society and the media impact their developing conceptions of gender and sexuality. In particular, her dedication to the psychology of women is evident throughout her scholarship and mentoring, as well as her leadership in the field and in the Psychology Department. Ward has developed a research program that addresses questions about adolescents’ and young adults’ conceptions of gender and sexuality and how they use the messages they receive about male/female relations from their parents, peers, and the media. Her primary area of research investigates the role of the media in the process of sexual socialization and how these messages intersect with gender ideologies, body image, race, and sexuality.

When Tischler started in 2001 in the Chemistry department at UM-Flint, one of the first things she did was reinstate the Chemistry Club as a Student Affiliate Chapter of the American Chemical Society. Since winter 2002, the club has been continuously recognized by the ACS with a Chapter Award and has received their top award of “Outstanding” ten times. Tischler has served as their advisor for over 20 years and actively works to support students and promote science outreach in the community. As a faculty advisor, Tischler has mentored Club officers, who in turn inspire and motivate their members. She also regularly volunteers at science outreach events on campus and in the community, such as demos and workshops at Super Science Friday, GEMS (Girls, in Engineering, Math, and Science), and Curiosity Academy (an after-school program for girls interested in STEM) “so that all kids see women and a diverse group of UM-Flint students represented as scientists,” said Besa Xhabija in a nominating letter.

Wiens joined the faculty of the Computer Science and Engineering department in 2014. “Wiens is a trailblazer,” said Rada Mihalcea, her colleague and nominator.

Click here to read more about past Sarah Goddard Power award winners.