Women in Science
ASA | CSSA | SSSA
The Women in Agronomy, Crops, Soils, and Environmental Science Committee is dedicated to:
- Promoting the status of women in the three Societies,
- Encouraging women to achieve professional excellence,
- Establishing networks of women in the agronomic, crops, soils, and environmental sciences,
- Sponsoring meetings to address issues of special concerns to professional women in our sciences, and
- Fostering the informal exchange of information and contacts in support of professional activities of women.
Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace: Dealing with Conflict and Difficult People
Emotional intelligence is a valued skill both in the workplace and in our personal lives as well. It helps improve communication, management, problem-solving, and relationships. It also is a valued skill when dealing with persistent conflict and difficult people in the workplace, which can impact morale, damage professional relationships, and weaken organizational results. This workshop will focus on what emotional intelligence is how it can help you in both your professional and personal life when dealing with conflict and difficult people. The workshop will also touch on using this emotional intelligence in important workplace issues, such as harassment, micro/macro aggressions, and bullying.The goal of the Women in Science Committee is to support women scientists in effectively leading progress in the agronomy, crop, soil and environmental sciences, recognizing their contributions, and supporting the continued strength and growth of women in our sciences. The 2020 ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Women in Science Committee Workshop will help the women in our sciences develop skills to effectively deal with conflict. Immediately after the workshop, the committee will host a roundtable meet and greet social for all attendees. A special thank you to PBI-Gordon and USDA-NRCS for their financial support to defray the registration costs for attendees!
Congratulations to the 2019 Women in Science Mentoring Award Winner: Dr. Sharon Clay!
Dr. Sharon Clay is a Distinguished Professor in the Plant Science Department of South Dakota State University, with expertise in Weed Science, and has been with SDSU since 1993. Dr. Clay states that she tries to be a role model for all of her students and help them on their life’s adventures. Many of her graduate students have started families or have children to support and I assist them in life’s numerous roles as best as possible. I try to instill a sense of work-life balance (work hard, play hard, and have family first), scientific inquiry, publishing their research for career advancement, life-long learning, and a passion for continuous improvement. Dr. Clay notes that she has had challenges as she started her career and the mentorship and support from professors, her husband, and numerous other mentors have inspired her to always work to “pay it forward” and have no one, man or woman, treated as if they can’t do the work because of gender. Sharon is currently mentoring 18 undergraduate students, 11 MS students, 3 PhD students, 1 post-doc, and 5 research associates! She actually helped to establish this Mentoring in just one of her numerous roles with the American Society of Agronomy, including President (2013). She believes it is important to recognize the role that mentors have in preparing women for the workforce in agriculture (and support in work-life balance). She also initiated a program to bring undergrads together with the past presidents of the three Societies and the Greenfield Scholars program. She has a PhD in agronomy from the University of Minnesota (1986).