Walking into Professor Jennifer Ross’ office, my attention was immediately drawn to the large whiteboard that occupied two walls of the room. Numbers and equations were scrawled across its expansive surface in formulaic chaos, and I imagined this was an environment where you could truly become immersed in your work. Professor Ross’ bright, intelligent eyes twinkled out from behind her glasses as we talked about soldier super-suits, physics, and the challenges that women face in STEM today.
Her Campus Umass Amherst: What courses do you teach here at UMass?
Jennifer Ross: I’m a professor in the Physics Department, but we actually don’t specialize in teaching material. We have to be able to teach courses in all of the different areas. Right now I teach a sophomore-level course on wave mechanics and thermodynamics. Another course I taught that I revamped was in optics. When I first taught it the lab section wasn’t great, so I revamped the lab and had the students actually build a microscope to learn about optics in a more hands-on way. I also opened the course to biology students, which made it more interdisciplinary. The idea comes from the biology student, and then the physicist helps them build the tools they need to do their research.
HC: Tell us a little about your research—what exactly is the MURI project?
JR: With the MURI project we are trying to develop new materials and new chemistries that are responsive and triggerable. We already have some mechanical systems that are triggerable, for example, the fire extinguisher systems in buildings. We are interested in developing materials that are triggered at the nanoscale that then go on to trigger a macro response.
Our research is modeled after the touch-me-not plant. It’s basically a leafy green plant that folds up its leaves when you touch it. At the nanoscale theres a protein, and through the mechanical sensation of being bent it opens and lets salt through, which triggers a cascade throughout the whole plant that causes it to close. We are interested in figuring out how to do that in a programmed way.
“Women need to do two things: you really should lean in, and make friends with the woman who’s in your group. You don’t have to be in competition with other women. It’s far better for you to help each other. I think women also need to work on their leadership and management skills if we are going to be leaders. It’s important to be as aware as possible of your own personal biases and also what you need to work on.”
HC: What are the long-term implications of this research?
JR: Having automatic responsive materials can be useful for a number of things. The MURI project is being funded by the Department of Defense. The military ultimately wants to be able to create a breathable skin for soldiers to wear that can detect carcinogenic materials, like mustard gas, in the air. The suit would seal when it came into contact with these kinds of chemicals without the soldier having to do anything.
HC: You’re working on some pretty amazing projects. Did you always know you wanted to study physics and chemistry? What was your college experience like?
JR: I was always intrinsically interested in science, but I also wanted that challenge of being one of the only women in this field. I actually did a research project in high school about the education of women and young girls and how we socialize them differently so that they choose different paths than men. It’s pretty unusual to have a woman in their junior year of high school say “I want to do physics and chemistry,” but I actually wrote it in my high school year book and on my PSATs. I wanted to work on understanding how biology uses energy to see how we can apply it to different things. I do actually work on things like that now. Being so focused has definitely allowed me to go through things very quickly. I completed my undergraduate degree in three years and then got my PhD in four years. I purposefully went to a women’s college (Wellesley College). Doing physics in an all-female environment was very empowering. Everything was based only on our actual ability in the classroom, and it was also really great to learn how to work with other women.
HC: What is one challenge you have faced as a woman in your field?
JR: I think the hardest part about being a woman in a male dominated field is that you are more vulnerable to physical threat. I’m not saying that I feel I’m constantly threatened, but it’s just one thing that men often use to their advantage—their ability to physically dominate a space. I would go to physics conferences and as soon as one of my male friends would walk away and go to the bathroom, another guy would walk up and hit on me. I think they felt entitled to do so. One place that I think is very different for women and men is the classroom. I work very hard at creating the persona that I want to project so that my students know that I am competent—that they need to listen to me. I think about my clothes and the way I carry myself in a very deliberate way. And I know for a fact that none of my male colleagues think about this at all.
The challenge that I’m facing right now is how to lead as being a woman, because currently in my department there are only two other woman. And we are often marginalized. I often ask myself how to move into leadership positions where my colleagues will listen to me, trust me, and not be scared of me simply because they don’t trust women in leadership in general.
“One place that I think is very different for women and men is the classroom. I work very hard at creating the persona that I want to project so that my students know that I am competent—that they need to listen to me. I think about my clothes and the way I carry myself in a very deliberate way. And I know for a fact that none of my male colleagues think about this at all.”
HC: Do you have any advice for current female college students?
JR: I think that women need to do two things: you really should lean in, and make friends with the woman who’s in your group. You don’t have to be in competition with other women. It’s far better for you to help each other. I think women also need to work on their leadership and management skills if we are going to be leaders. It’s important to be as aware as possible of your own personal biases and also what you need to work on. I really encourage students to try as many things as possible—a new science, a new sport, a new boyfriend or girlfriend—so you can mess up and figure out what you like and what you don’t.
HC: What are you most proud of in your life or work?
JR: I am proud of the advice blog I put together. Its practical advice, and I’m ultimately planning on turning into a book. I have a sign on my office door that says “feminism is the radical notion that women are people”, and that’s a lot of what I talk about in my blog in the context of the challenges we face as women. I am proud of my kids – I want to raise adults not children.
HC: What is one thing you would like your students to know about you?
JR: I think the most important thing for students to know about me is that I really care about them walking away from here being more logical – knowing more and being better scientists than when they came in. You learn logic and you learn how to be thoughtful and critical in a positive and constructive way. I wish every person in Congress, and every lawyer and police officer was a physics major before they went on to do whatever it is they do. Critical thinking skills are so incredibly important in our world, and I don’t think they are appreciated as much now.
Check out Professor Ross’ blog!
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