BOSTON -- Saying he hoped to "turn heat into light" after the recent controversy over his remarks on women in science, Harvard University President Lawrence Summers announced the appointment Thursday of two faculty task forces on women and pledged to create a senior administrative position to support gender diversity.
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The task force on women will be chaired by Evelynn Hammonds, a professor of history of science and of African and African-American studies. It will focus on improving searches for women faculty, ensuring they get fair consideration for promotion, and exploring ways to support them in meeting family demands. It will also consider "targeted searches as a means of enhancing gender diversity on the faculty," according to Harvard's announcement.
The women in science task force will be chaired by Barbara Grosz, dean of science at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. It will explore so-called "pipeline" issues affecting the pool of women scientists, such as why women who major in science as undergraduates may not pursue science careers.
"The object of these task forces is not to study the problem, which has been extensively studied, but to propose a set of concrete measures," Summers said.
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