Highlighting Women in Science: Service Through Scholarship
Dr. Miriam Segura-Totten is an award-winning professor of Biology at the University of North Georgia (UNG). She says her desire to work with and support undergraduate students in their scientific research is one of the main reasons she chose to teach at the distinguished Military College of Georgia.
Outside the classroom, she is an avid reader and traveler. Because she grew up in Puerto Rico, it is her favorite place to visit, but she admits that Paris will always hold a special place in her heart.
Her Roles at UNG
- Teacher of Biology
- Mentor to undergraduate research students
- Editor of a biological education journal
These roles let her combine her love for Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology with her desire to help people, especially students looking for their own pathway in the sciences.
Why UNG?
At first, UNG’s size offered her the familiarity of a smaller school and the chance to directly impact students’ lives, both in her classes and under her advisement.
Thirteen years later, UNG has grown to five campuses and more than 20,000 students. Dr. Segura-Totten believes the school still keeps many benefits of a smaller school because:
- Each campus is relatively small
- There is a large commuter population
- Student-to-professor ratios are still excellent
Teaching and Service
Dr. Segura-Totten’s area of expertise includes cell and molecular biology. For many years, her research focused on proteins of biomedical importance.
This research matters because when these proteins mutate in people, they can lead to a whole host of diseases. Understanding how these proteins affect disease can lead to potential treatments or cures.
From Future Doctor to Researcher
Even as a child, she loved science and biology, and she was always interested in biomedical innovation. She thought she wanted to be a medical doctor until she discovered research. Then she realized she could be the person creating the discoveries that drive medicine.
A Typical Week
Her days are divided among teaching, scholarly research, and service to her institution and profession. Depending on the day, she may:
- Prepare for her classes
- Teach a lecture or a lab
- Work on her research in Biology Education
- Write a manuscript for a journal or a grant proposal
- Meet with her research students
When possible, she sets aside one day a week for her scholarly research. As is standard in higher education, some days are more teaching-heavy.
As a journal editor, part of her service also involves:
- Reading and reviewing manuscripts
- Putting together special issues for the journal
Biology Education Research
Over the years, Dr. Segura-Totten’s research passion has evolved into the field of Biology Education research. While it differs from straight biochemical or biological analysis, this work still relies on the scientific method.
What Her Research Explores
- Teaching methods: Evaluating whether different approaches to teaching biology are working
- Learning gains: Measuring the results of each delivery method
- Specific learning processes: For example, how students read and use scientific journal articles in the classroom
How Students Engage With Research Articles
She studies how students cognitively complete this kind of assignment, and how their brains work to engage with, understand, and apply what they read.
This brings elements of psychology and the social sciences into her scholarly focus. It also requires qualitative research, including interviews with students about how they interact with scholarly articles as part of their biological education.
Closing the Gap Between Beginner and Expert
The research follows a clear process:
- Interview students about how they read and use scientific articles.
- Compare their responses to those of faculty members or experts in the field.
- Identify the gaps between different levels of understanding and expertise.
- Determine the steps that can move students from beginner to intermediate to expert-level understanding.
- Use these findings to build classroom curriculum that helps students reach the highest possible level of knowledge.
As her research has shifted, so has her passion for educating students. She feels strongly about helping others understand biology so they can develop their own passions in the field.
Importance of Diversity in Science
Dr. Segura-Totten gives two main reasons why it is essential for women to be active in the sciences.
1. Different Perspectives Lead to Better Outcomes
Men, women, and people who don’t conform to a specific gender view things differently. This gives all of us the capacity to tackle problems in different ways.
“Our brains are different; our lived experiences are different. When you have people working on a project, the more different kinds of brains you can get on that project, the better the project outcome will be. It’s hugely important that science is not dominated by one group over another, whether men, women, or people of a certain race or ethnicity. Diversity in all areas is crucial when problem-solving and moving science forward.”
2. Women Inspire More Women
The second reason comes back to her passion for mentoring and inspiring others: women are needed in science to bring more women into science. She emphasizes how important it is for young women to see successful women in science and have them as role models.
Her upbringing helped her navigate her path as a woman in a male-dominated field. Her parents did not place much emphasis on limitations around her being a woman or suggest the rules were different for her. Because of this, she was prepared when she chose science for her undergraduate degree and later her Ph.D.
Her experience shapes her belief that strong, supportive women in the sciences should serve as role models for younger women who may not have had the same upbringing.
Follow Your Passion and Choose Wisely
To anyone considering a career in science, not just women, Dr. Segura-Totten stresses the importance of following your passion:
“If you follow your passions, you will work much harder, but you will do much better.”
Her Advice to Women in Science
- Don’t limit yourself because you are a woman.
- Find your mentors. A career in science can be done without mentorship, but it feels much less challenging when you know someone is behind you, looking out for you.
Finding Work/Life Balance
A demanding career in science calls for work/life balance. That includes choosing a partner or spouse who will be supportive and available to walk that path with you. She notes this may be less of a consideration for younger people, but it is still an important factor when choosing a career. It comes down to prioritizing what is important in life.
Early on, Dr. Segura-Totten focused on her career and establishing herself before she and her husband had their son. She watched many colleagues try to do it all at the same time. Some succeeded and some struggled.
She notes that life has a natural ebb and flow, even in a career:
- When having and raising small children, there is less time for career pursuits.
- As a family grows older, there is more time for professional life.
Remembering that everyone goes through stages helps keep perspective. Sometimes the balance tips toward personal life, and other times it tilts toward professional life.
Rewards in Legacy
Dr. Segura-Totten considers helping others the most rewarding part of her academic work. Because her scholarship focuses on biological education and how best to support student learning, she applies that passion every day by mentoring her students.
Finding “Diamonds in the Rough”
She has a particular affinity for finding students who are “diamonds in the rough,” such as:
- Students who are super bright but may not realize it
- Students who are hard-working and organized, but whose grades don’t show it
She enjoys finding these students, helping them figure out what they want to do, and helping them shine brighter. She feels that is her legacy.
Women in Science Article Series
In this article series, The Lab Depot hopes to honor the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by building awareness of the women who do this work every day: mothers, daughters, wives, friends, caregivers, and colleagues.
These are stories of commitment, dedication, transition, and a great love for the potential to make the world better, found in all sciences. We hope you enjoy learning more about these contributors to chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering.
Know a woman in science? If you are a woman in science, or know one you greatly respect, reach out and let us know! Tell us about your path, or hers:
- Use the comments section on any of our Women in Science social media posts, or
- Email our Communications Officer, Susie Csomor, at [email protected]
