Arts & Sciences Spring 2024

A Sisterhood of Science Professor links three generations of female researchers in Earth and environmental sciences.

A&S Professor Linda Ivany (center) at the AWG award ceremony with former members of her lab (from left) Marie Jimenez G’18, Lindsay Moon ’19, Emily Judd G’20 and Christy Visaggi G’04.

When Professor Cathryn R. Newton joined what became the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) in 1983, the field—like much of science—was dominated by men. An expert

Among Newton’s early advisees was an undergraduate student named Linda Ivany ’88. Ivany, now a professor at Syracuse herself, majored in geology and minored in zoology (now biology). She graduated at the top of her class and was named a Syracuse University Scholar, an honor conferred to high-achieving seniors. “As an undergraduate at SU, I didn’t realize how rare and special it was to have a woman advisor—and a formidable one—in the geosciences at that time. Once I got to graduate school, it became abundantly clear that there were very few senior women in the field, and that they generally didn’t get the recognition they deserved for the work they were doing,” Ivany says. After receiving a master’s degree from the University of Florida Gainesville and a Ph.D. from Harvard University, Ivany returned to Syracuse University as a professor, following in the footsteps of Newton, her mentor. That year, in 2000, she and Professor Suzanne Baldwin became the second and third women to be hired into the faculty of EES at Syracuse.

A respected researcher, professor and advisor, Ivany has received numerous honors, including the University’s Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award in 2019. For her innovative work in the field and the classroom, Ivany was also featured in an exhibit titled “Daring to Dig” at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, NY, in 2021. The gallery highlighted the career challenges and triumphs of female paleontologists. Ivany, who has served as advisor to Ph.D., master’s and undergraduate students at Syracuse, recently received an Outstanding Educator Award from the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG). “An award for outstanding educator is especially meaningful to me,” says Ivany, “because it feels like I’ve somehow been successful at giving back, at honoring the educators and mentors who were so influential for me when I was a student.” Just as she drew inspiration from Cathryn Newton, Ivany has guided the next generation of paleontologists. Four of her former students attended

Cathryn R. Newton, Dean Emerita of A&S and professor of Earth and envi ronmental sciences.

in the study of modern and ancient biodiversity, Newton’s work catalyzed researchers to examine the fossil record for clues about the catastrophic causes of mass extinctions. Newton went on to become the first woman to be named chair of the department (1993 to 2000) and was the first woman to serve as dean of A&S (2000 to 2008). Throughout her career, she has been an ardent advocate and mentor to women in the sciences, co-founding the University’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) program.

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Syracuse University | Arts & Sciences