Department of Animal Science, UC Davis
HIGHLIGHTS
A PUBLICATION FOR OUR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
Fall 1996

Doctoral Student Moms Lead Dual Lives

The percentage of women as Animal Science graduate students, particularly those going for a doctorate (once a male domain), has increased steadily over the years; this fall 15 of the current 30 PhD candidates in the department are women.

Since their age generally makes them prime candidates for motherhood as well, how are those with children managing the conflicting demands for their time and energy?

Today some highly productive Animal Science graduate students are demonstrating that it's possible to excel in developing an academic career and in raising children as well. While recognizing that a good number of fathers are also excelling in both academics and parenting these days, two women now working on doctorates in Animal Science exemplify particularly well the success that young women are having in combining the roles of student and mother.

Shelley Cargill, 28, is pursuing a PhD in Physiology with emphasis in reproductive physiology. With a BS in Animal Science from Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo and a Master's degree in Animal Science from UC Davis behind her, she is in the final year of her PhD thesis research.

Althougl her career goals are not set in stone, she plans to apply for positions in biotechnology and for a few select positions in academia. A postdoctoral program is not out of the question. In the middle of this, she got married two years ago and, last October, had her first baby.

How does she manage? Shelley says, "The main thing necessary to manage a family and grad school is complete dedication to your project. A person will always make time for family. However, you must be completely dedicated to your grad school goals in order to complete your degree. Efficient time management is paramount."

"Basically I have given up everything except grad school and my family," says Shelley. " I think that my degree is worth a lot, which means that I am willing to sacrifice things in exchange for the degree. It helps to remember that getting the degree is only a temporary thing and won't be forever. Don't misunderstand me, it is very difficult at times to do it all. You can't sort of be a parent and you can't sort of be a grad student without letting someone down."

Cindy Daley agrees that excelling in both arenas is time consuming. She and her husband have two children, 5 and 7 years of age. Being a graduate student "makes for a rather hectic schedule," she says, "but I enjoy the fast pace and the challenges it presents."

Cindy, a transplant to California from her family's corn and cattle ranch in Illinois, is pursuing a PhD dissertation focusing, perhaps fittingly, on stress-related mechanisms that impact reproductive function, data which she plans to present at next summer's meet production. In addition to these studies, she has been working on two applied research projects that have direct industry applications.

Cindy obviously does maintain a fast pace. After completing a BS at the University of Illinois, then a Master's degree in 1986 at Cal State Fresno, she worked as a Staff Research Associate first at the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center in Tulare and later at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center.

In 1991 she returned to graduate school to pursue a PhD in Endocrinology, working with Professor Tom Adams. Although she took a year off "to re-evaluate things and get reorganized," since then she has received two successive Jastro-Shields Research Awards, two successive years of Lyons Fellowship Awards and a $5000 scholarship from the American Association of University Women.

As a co-author, she obtained $6000 from the UCD Animal Agricultural Research Center (AARC) for collaborative research with Cal State Chico and more recently, in collaboration with Chico's Plant Science faculty, an $80,000 grant from USDA for curriculum reform. Impressive, no? In her spare time, she and her husband Dave, a fourth generation rancher run 150 commercial cows on their Northern California ranch but intent to increase that number once she's not so busy here in Davis.

Shelley and Cindy both depend on new age husbands. Cindy finds it significant that "family roles are gradually changing, as are the attitudes of men towards child-rearing and responsibilities associated with children. We are full partners in child-rearing, which has allowed me the opportunity to further my career goals and still enjoy my family."

Shelley agrees, confessing, "I need my husband's support mentally as well as physically. He helps with the baby and listens to the problems involved with my project."

Both women include their children in their activities. Shelley explains that although there's little time for herself, "That doesn't mean that I don't exercise. I just have to be creative and exercise and spend time with the baby at the same time."

Cindy also tries to make her children part of what she does as often as possible. "My kids come to campus with me on the weekends and evenings when and where appropriate, particularly when I am doing any kind of animal work. They enjoy going to the Colt Facility and the big barn at the Feedlot. When we arrive they have their jobs to do and feel good about being able to 'help Mom.'"

Cindy claims, "1 choose to have both a career and a family because I am willing to put in the extra hours it takes to make sure I can do both well. I am proud of the work I have accomplished here during my graduate program."

Needless to say, the Department of Animal Science is proud of its graduate students, and proud to have provided the environment in which hardworking graduate students, both men and women, can succed.

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