Woman of the year named

IU Professor of Physics Catherine Olmer has been selected as Bloomington's Woman of the Year. Her contributions in the encouragement of youth -- especially females -- are among her numerous accomplishments.\nOlmer is one of few women in the field of physics, where only four percent of the field's members are female. Olmer has been a professor since 1979 and is currently the Executive Director of WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. WonderLab is a local hands-on science museum.\n"Thousands of girls in Bloomington have the opportunity to go where few women have gone before, due in part to the dedication, fervor and plain, hard work of Cathy Olmer," WonderLab education director Karen Stuckey said in a press release.\nOlmer's involvement in WonderLab, Girl Scouts, the Eureka Project and the IU Women in Science Program evolved from her experiences in the physics field since high school.\nOlmer became fascinated with science during childhood.\n"My parents only let me take public transportation to and from the Boston Museum of Science, and on my visits, I just spent hours upon hours there," Olmer said. "Although it was in the 1950s, I still remember it like it was just yesterday. It was that museum which helped me want to establish a science museum like WonderLab."\nIn her youth, Olmer faced the same issues as other children. She did not know what she wanted to do in life or where she wanted to go. In high school she found out an important lesson: It was possible to hate a class and a teacher but love the material. For Olmer, being exposed to this lesson early was a great influence to her future education. \nUndergraduate and graduate work provided challenging and intimidating environments for a dedicated female.\n"When I arrived at college and discovered I was the only woman in my classes and there were not any female professors, it was very intimidating," Olmer said. "It sent a message to me that if there are no other women there, then you're not meant to be there."\nThree physics professors at Boston University influenced Olmer during her undergraduate work. The professors' dedication and caring attitude toward the students helped Olmer.\n"Those were the kind of people who make me what I am today," Olmer said. "The only way to fully thank them for what they did is to do it myself."\nDuring her work as a graduate student at Yale, Olmer had a slightly easier time with her work. She was one of two female physics graduate students. \nHer position as one of the only females gave Olmer some interesting experiences.\n"It was one of my earlier exams during my work as a graduate student," Olmer said. "The professor handed out blue books to all of the men in the class but did not give one to the other female student and me. We were curious what he was doing until he reached into his briefcase and pulled out two pink books for us. I became angry.\n"That is when the adrenaline began, and I placed that into the exam. I was so thrilled when I found out I had aced it with an A+."\nSuch experiences helped Olmer through her journey in the male-dominated collegiate education system. \nIt is apparent in the lives of numerous Bloomington youth that Olmer has worked hard to share her experiences with others. One of her primary areas of involvement is WonderLab. Currently, there are two dozen hands-on exhibits, but by March 2003, Olmer and the museum's other employees will be celebrating the opening of a brand-new facility that will house more than 100 hands-on exhibits. This new facility will hold enlarged summer camp activities for Bloomington children. \nOlmer's lack of female science role models inspired her to help the Girl Scouts organize a hands-on Science Day, which started in 1995. IU has been very supportive of the program. The University has played host to the event every year and has provided personnel and rooms to help out. The day gives Girl Scouts a chance to engage in hands-on physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science activities.\nOlmer said the impact the day makes on young girls is a rewarding experience for her.\n"You know you are doing something right when a child says 'I love physics,'" Olmer said.\nOne of her biggest accomplishments at IU is the Women in Science program. The program helps make science classes more engaging for all students and encourages women to become active in the field of science.\nAs Dean of the Office for Women's Affairs, Jean Robinson has seen the impact of the Women in Science program at IU.\n"This project has been effective in helping different departments which deal with the natural and mathematical sciences figure out how to encourage more women to stay as students in the fields," Robinson said.\nOlmer now makes it a goal to ensure future generations don't have to feel alienated, as she did with an absence of female role models in the science field.\n"My main goal is to have more women say they like science and that they can do it," Olmer said. "It would be great if they entered the field, but that's not the key point. It's making sure we don't have generations and generations of mothers who tell their children they did not like science and they could not do it.\n"We need to have more children and adults who really enjoy science and don't have to be scientists"