Association for Women Geoscientists - OEA Award

Sue Rimmer. [larger image]

On my door I have a picture of a heron swallowing a frog. The frog is holding onto the heron’s neck, refusing to be swallowed. The words below the picture say, “Don’t ever give up.” It’s been my motto. But this year’s Outstanding Educator Awardee, Sue Rimmer, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky, epitomizes the cartoon on my door more than anyone I can think of.

Sue’s interest in geology began in childhood. As the daughter of a Royal Air Force pilot she traveled widely and became fascinated by landscapes. She lived in many parts of the Middle East, as well as England and Wales. She also got to travel to Kenya and even trek up the flanks of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Her high school years were spent in Cyprus where a college friend was working on the Troodos Ophiolite. Sue couldn’t believe that someone could make a living doing this kind of research.

She originally planned to major in Geography in England, but when she enrolled in college in the US she realized that geology was better suited to her interests. Along the way several male professors provided pivotal encouragement. Bill Hood at Southern Illinois University hired her as an undergraduate to work in his geochemistry lab. His encouragement convinced her to go to graduate school. Dennis Eberl at the University of Illinois supervised her master’s degree work. He was also “wonderfully supportive” of her work and even in the mid-70’s did not see her pregnancy and child rearing as an obstacle to success. As she was finishing her Master’s Degree, she met Lyle Sendelein, from Southern Illinois University, at a conference. He talked to her over breakfast and convinced her that she should continue on in graduate school for a Ph.D. She was a single mom with a three-year old when Alan Davis willingly undertook being her graduate advisor at Penn State.

When she entered the job market, Lyle Sendelein was then at the University of Kentucky and heading a search committee for a tenure-track faculty member. The result of the search was the hiring of Sue. Years later, when she was thinking of leaving the academe for industry, Sendelein again helped her through the tenure process.

It’s typical of Sue, that when describing her career trajectory, her focus was on the positive influences. She prefers to ignore the “downright discouraging and even mean-spirited” people she has encountered.

This positive attitude is passed along to her students. In her glowing letters students say, “Sue believes in what this department can become, as she believes in what her students can become.” Another reports that after talking with Sue about graduate school “I left the University of Kentucky with about one hundred times more confidence than I had before visiting her.”

For me an intriguing part of Sue’s career is how she combined family and work. One of the most frequently discussed topics for women in academia is, if you are planning to have children, when is the best time? In general there are two end members. Have children in graduate school when time is more flexible and an extension on the clock is relatively penalty free. The alternative model is to wait until after tenure. Both of course have their advantages and disadvantages. Sue Rimmer has done both!

Her first son, James (who will be at the award breakfast), was born while she was working on her master’s degree. Her second son, Evan, was born after tenure, when she was 45 and an Associate Dean of the College, 22 years after her first son.

Although Sue enjoyed working in Administration, after the birth of Evan she decided to return to the geology department after a seven-year absence. As a dean she had become aware that she had to do her research better and faster to compete effectively for funding and students. There aren’t too many opportunities in traditional coal research, and few students chose to go into the field.

Sue realized that she’d need to alter her research focus to be competitive. She decided to apply her organic petrology background to broader research questions that would have more global appeal in geology. In 2000 she received an NSF-POWRE grant to study stable isotopes in black shales, a major turning point in her research career. That proposal led directly to four other significant NSF grants and several smaller ones from various agencies. So in her late 40’s, with a young son, Sue was able to jump start post-administration research efforts and return to the department as an active researcher who continues to attract a terrific group of students.

What sort of advice would Sue give students about their careers? Not surprisingly, “Just do it!” She also adds, don’t work with turkeys. Instead find like-minded people and be supportive of each other and eventually you will find your niche.

.: Back to the AWG Outstanding Educator Awards page

AWG OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR 2007

Sue Rimmer