As a recent guest columnist for the Virginian Pilot, President Broderick writes of ODU's many accomplishments in STEM-H (science, technology, engineering, math, and health care). Of the Physics Department, he mentions:
In the College of Sciences, physics professor Gail Dodge last year organized a conference for undergraduate women in physics, which attracted 150 female students from across the mid-Atlantic. During the year, Dodge and Leposava Vuskovic, an eminent professor of physics, host four dinners for women in ODU's Physics Department, from undergraduates to faculty members. The idea is to share experiences and advice and build mentoring relationships. And that dovetails with Major's research, which shows that connections with peers, faculty members and other role models greatly increase the odds that students will stay in STEM-H fields.
The physics department's efforts have paid off: Nearly one-third of ODU's graduate students in physics are women, compared with less than 20 percent nationwide.
The full article at the Virginia Pilot can be found here.