The Engevik Sisters’ Experience as Women in Science

While only a small percentage of the workforce in STEM is female, it didn’t stop the Engevik sisters from pursuing careers in science. Amy Engevik, Ph.D. and Mindy Engevik, Ph.D. are two of MUSC’s newest assistant professors, both joining the department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology for digestive disease research. They both received their Ph.D.’s from the University of Cincinnati in labs next door to each other. After completing their graduate research, both sisters undertook different postdoctoral paths; Amy went to Vanderbilt University while Mindy attended Baylor College of Medicine.

Amy and Mindy aren’t the only Engevik sisters in science either: their younger sister, Kristen Engevik, Ph.D., is currently a postdoc at Baylor College of Medicine, studying the gastrointestinal system. They are known as the Engevik Scientist Sisters and you can find them on Twitter (@AmyEngevik, @MicroMindy and @thekengevik) or together at conferences.

"Support your female colleagues, promote the work of other women in STEM and be a mentor to aspiring female scientists. Women supporting women can go a long way."
-- Cortney Gensemer

As a female graduate student, it is inspiring for me to see three young women who are so successful in their scientific careers. I was naturally curious to know more about how they got here and the challenges they faced along the way in a male-dominated field. I asked Mindy and Amy some questions about their journey and what it’s like to have sisters in research.

I have often thought it would be easier to be a man in science and I was curious to know if Mindy and Amy had faced more challenges in science than their male colleagues.

Unsurprisingly, the Engevik sisters felt the same way. Both recalled countless times during their training where women experienced sexism in an academic setting. Gender bias in academia can take many forms, some more subtle than others. Mindy describes experiencing microaggressions as a postdoc, such as being introduced for a talk as “Mindy Engevik” while her male colleagues with the same qualifications were introduced with the title “Dr.” Women are often introduced without their titles and at the same time criticized for using them. It wasn’t too long ago that the Wall Street Journal attacked Dr. Jill Biden for using “Dr.” in front of her name, criticism that a male counterpart would be unlikely to receive.

For both sisters, receiving harsher and non-science criticism compared to their male colleagues was the norm. Mindy even recorded the number of times female students were grilled and received harsh comments from faculty during graduate school seminars.

“You always knew the comments were going to be needlessly cruel when they were started with the words ‘now don’t take this personally, but…’,” explained Mindy.

Not only are female students more harshly criticized, but they also lack recognition for achievements and often must work harder than their male counterparts to be competitive for awards.

“The sad reality is that, as a woman, I can’t be just as good as my male colleagues to receive the same awards and accolades,” shared Amy. “I must be better.”

Even in my few years in graduate school so far, I’ve seen plenty of sexism in science and medicine. During my second year of my Ph.D., I witnessed another female student receive comments about her appearance being “unprofessional”, without any feedback on the actual research she presented. Observing this interaction has made me second guess my own appearance for presentations ever since.

But being a woman in science isn’t all bad news, especially if you have sisters by your side. The Engevik sisters are a support system for each other. They brainstorm together, vent about their problems, work through challenges together and celebrate each other’s successes. Amy describes their scientific relationship as synergistic in how they contribute to each other’s productivity and research progress. Not to mention, having someone around who can read a grant or a manuscript at a moment’s notice and give constructive feedback is convenient.

The last question I asked Amy and Mindy was how they hope to support or inspire the younger generation of female scientists. Their answers made me grateful to have them as faculty in my department.

Mindy wants to be a source of hope for students who are struggling in their labs. She wants to advocate for students during challenges in their training, especially minorities and female trainees. Amy wants to be a mentor and sponsor to young scientists with an emphasis on highlighting their work, helping them secure funding, and connecting them with experts in the field. Many mentors in science are not sponsors for their trainees and women are under-sponsored across various career stages.

Amy and Mindy both made one point incredibly clear—support matters. Support your female colleagues, promote the work of other women in STEM and be a mentor to aspiring female scientists. Women supporting women can go a long way.

I agree with Amy and Mindy that having a support system of people who want to see women succeed in science is essential. When I was forming my dissertation committee, it was important to me that I had female scientists on it who would support me through my Ph.D, journey and help me reach my career goals. As for mentoring aspiring female scientist, I try to be involved in community outreach with children and teenagers. We need to continue to show young girls and women that they can be scientists too.

For more tips on how to help women in STEM, please read the previous CGS Speaks blog “5 Ways to Help Women”.