Helping Women Pursue Science

By Nicole St. Pierre

Caroline A. Kovac, ’81, was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame (WITI) on June 20, 2002. She received a Ph.D. in chemistry from USC College, and now lives in Connecticut and works for IBM.

One of only three women in the world to receive the honor this year, Kovac was recognized for her work at IBM and for offering encouragement to women interested in pursuing science careers.

After leaving USC, Kovac joined IBM where she launched the cutting-edge IBM Life Sciences Solutions—an IBM business designed to help life sciences organizations accelerate drug discovery, and turn the vast quantities of data from the Human Genome Project and other research efforts into useful scientific information.

Induction into WITI requires more than just a stellar resume, however.

Each year Kovac visits schools to talk about the importance of studying science. “Generating an interest early on is crucial,” she says. “If you don’t take math and science in high school, it’s very unlikely that you will go back and do it later.”

At IBM, Kovac has organized cadres of employees to develop programs that encourage K-12 girls to pursue an education in science. She also has formed mentoring pipelines to support women scientists throughout their career.

Women, who constitute almost half of the American labor force, fill only 12 percent of the nation’s jobs in science, engineering and technology, according to the National Council for Research on Women.