Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy will chair a national committee examining the long-term impact of the pandemic on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers for women.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine asked Dr. Kinzy to serve on the committee planning the Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 on the Future Careers of Women in STEM: A Workshop. Coordinated through the Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the workshop will identify research needed to monitor the long-term impact as well as effective ways to mitigate and leverage that impact to enhance women’s careers and the intersectionality with race.
Appears In“It is a tremendous honor to be chosen as a member of this committee of the National Academies,” said Kinzy, who is the only president from an Illinois university chosen to serve. “It will be years before we understand the full ramifications of the pandemic. I’m proud to be part of planning for the solutions for women in STEM and I expect much we learn will help us address the impact in all disciplines.”
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems. The Academies seek leaders who possess extensive knowledge to conduct policy studies, workshops, symposia, and other activities.
Dr. Kinzy is recognized as a world leader in the study of how proteins are made. Her work utilizes the bread yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model to understand the role of proteins that decode an mRNA into proteins and how this process affects efficient and accurate cellular processes. Recent work has also led to new insights into a fungal specific protein as a target for anti-fungal drug development and the mechanisms of action of diphtheria toxin.
She has mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduates, and high school students as part of her research program. She has organized and chaired sessions for numerous international meetings and served on or chaired study sections for both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Her work has been funded by numerous sponsors including the NIH, the NSF as a CAREER Award recipient, the Human Frontiers Science Program, and numerous foundations and corporations.
