Professor
      Profile:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Shannon
      Younker
      chats
      with
      Bio
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr
     
    
   
   
    
     
      r.
      Donna
      Giberson
      is
      the
      newest
     
    

    
     
      member
      of
      UPEI’s
      Biology
      Depart-
     
    

    
     
      ment.
      She
      began
      teaching
      here
      in
     
    

    
     
      1992
      and
      her
      current
      schedule
     
    

    
     
      includes
      teaching
      invertebrate
      zo-
     
    

    
     
      ology,
      ecology,
      limnology,
      and
      en-
     
     
      tomology.
      She
      also
      hires
      honcurs
      students
      for
     
     
      exciting
      mucking-around-in-swamps-and
      -col-
     
     
      lecting-insects
      jobs,
      wins
      prestigious
      NSERC
     
     
      grants,
      does
      environmental
      impact
      assessments,
     
     
      and
      on
      Friday,
      September
      17,
      she
      talked
      to
      me
     
     
      on
      behalf
      of
      the
      X-Press.
     
    

    
     
      Before
      arriving
      at
      UPEI,
      Dr.
      Giberson
      was
     
     
      teaching
      in
      the
      position
      of
      a
      post-doctoral
     
     
      fellow
      at
      Mount
      Allison
      University
      in
      Sackville,
     
     
      N.B.
      As
      well,
      she
      has
      worked
      for
      several
      years
     
     
      in
      the
      field
      of
      Environmental
      Impact
      Assess-
     
     
      ments
      dealing
      with
      pesticide
      evaluations.
      When
     
     
      asked
      how
      she
      likes
      working
      in
      a
      university
     
     
      known
      for
      its
      small
      population
      and
      liberal
      arts
     
     
      philosophy,
      Dr.
      Giberson
      told
      me
      this
      is
      just
      the
     
     
      type
      of
      institution
      she
      likes.
      She
      feels
      that
      UPEI’s
     
     
      lack
      of
      ongoing
      research
      may
      make
      it
      more
     
     
      difficult
      for
      professors
      to
      keep
      current.
      Itis
      also
     
     
      unfortunate
      that
      many
      biology
      majors
      (and
     
     
      perhaps
      others)
      see
      UPEI
      as
      a
      prep
      school
      for
     
     
      professional
      programs.
      Dr.
      Giberson
      maintains
     
     
      that
      a
      university
      education
      has
      an
      intrinsic
      value,
     
     
      as
      does
      knowledge
      itself,
      that
      is
      more
      than
      a
     
     
      stepping
      stone
      to
      a
      productive
      career.
     
    

    
     
      It
      may
      bea
      cliche,
      but
      in
      a
      province
      where
     
     
      the
      phrase
      “lady
      doctor”
      is
      still
      heard,
      |
      had
      to
     
     
      ask
      Dr.
      Giberson
      whether,
      as
      a
      woman,
      she
      had
     
     
      been
      treated
      any
      differently
      in
      her
      scientific
     
     
      training.
      The
      short
      and
      simple
      answer
      was
     
     
      “yes.”
      Dr.
      Giberson
      graduated
      with
      her
      Bach-
     
     
      elor
      of
      Science
      in
      1978
      -a
      time
      when
      there
      were
     
     
      very
      few
      women
      in
      science,
      and
      even
      fewer
      who
     
     
      wished
      to
      workin
      the
      field.
      There
      were
      definite
     
     
      gender-based
      problems
      finding
      employment,
      to
     
     
      the
      point
      of
      some
      male
      employers
      refusing
      even
     
     
      to
      readapplications
      submitted
      by
      women.
      Once
     
     
      hired,
      there
      was
      still
      an
      uphill
      battle
      to
      be
      won.
     
     
      The
      question
      of
      whether
      someone
      who
      can
     
     
      barely
      reach
      the
      top
      of
      the
      chalkboard
      could
      put
     
     
      the
      12
      foot
      aluminum
      boat
      on
      top
      of
      the
      4X4
      by
     
     
      herself
      then
      became
      important.
      Dr.
      Giberson
     
     
      told
      me,
      “I
      could
      and
      |
      did
      but
      |
      had
      to
      prove
      it
     
     
      Over
      and
      over
      and
      over
      again.”
      |
      wonder
      if
      a
      5
     
     
      ft
      4
      male
      scientist
      would
      have
      the
      some
      prob-
     
     
      lems.
      It
      was
      encouraging
      to
      hear
      that
      while
     
     
      Studying
      for
      her
      M.Sc.,
      Dr.
      Giberson
      had
      much
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      prof
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Donna
      Giberson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      less
      of
      a
      problem
      with
      discrimination.
      Approxi-
     
     
      mately
      75%
      of
      the
      graduate
      students
      in
      ento-
     
     
      mology
      when
      Dr.
      Giberson
      was
      at
      the
      Univer-
     
     
      sity
      of
      Manitoba
      were
      women
      and
      there
      was
      a
     
     
      female
      faculty
      member.
      UPEI’s
      undergraduate
     
     
      classes
      are
      not
      far
      behind.
      In
      Biology
      301,
      one
     
     
      of
      Giberson’s
      classes,
      39
      of
      the
      59
      students
      are
     
     
      women.
     
    

    
     
      The
      issue
      of
      women
      in
      science
      leads
      into
      the
     
     
      tricky
      question
      of
      affirmative
      action
      policies,
     
     
      which
      Dr.
      Giberson
      tells
      me
      she
      does
      not
     
     
      believe
      in.
      Andas
      a
      neophyte
      scientist,
      |
      tend
      to
     
     
      agree.
      Dr.
      Giberson
      told
      me
      “I
      was
      in
      situations
     
     
      where
      |
      didn’t
      get
      a
      job
      because
      |
      was
      a
     
     
      woman....and
      that
      if
      |
      tried
      to
      do
      anything
      about
     
     
      it
      I'd
      never
      get
      a
      job
      in
      that
      field.”
      This
      situation
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      common
      in
      the
      early
      seventies.
      (I
      am
      only
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hoping
      that
      the
      situation
      is
      better
      now.)
     
     
      Twenty
      years
      later
      many
      of
      the
      newest
      minor-
     
     
      ity,
      able-bodied
      white
      males,
      are
      not
      finding
      jobs
     
     
      and
      are
      very
      bitter.
      Dr.
      Giberson
      warns
      that
     
     
      this
      situation
      can
      turn
      personal
      when
      at
      a
     
     
      conferenceyou
      discover
      that
      “very
      good
      friends
     
     
      are
      now
      not
      such
      good
      friends.”
      One
      of
      the
     
     
      problems
      with
      affirmative
      action
      is
      that
      no
      one
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      will
      know
      if
      some
      very
      capable
      women
      would
     
     
      have
      been
      hired
      outside
      of
      the
      program.
      Dr.
     
     
      Giberson
      suggests
      that
      this
      is
      something
      that
      my
     
     
      generation
      may
      have
      to
      live
      through
      and
      work
     
     
      out
      in
      order
      to
      give
      our
      daughters
      a
      fairer
     
     
      chance.
      (Of
      course
      |
      have
      looked
      for
      very
      few
     
     
      jobs
      in
      the
      natural
      sciences
      and
      may
      change
      my
     
     
      mind
      when
      facing
      the
      real
      world.)
     
    

    
     
      One
      gauge
      of
      Dr.
      Giberson’s
      knowledge
      and
     
     
      success
      is
      that
      she
      was
      awarded
      an
      NSERC
      grant
     
     
      (National
      Science
      and
      Energy
      Research
      Council
     
     
      of
      Canada)
      the
      first
      time
      she
      applied.
      As
      well
      she
     
     
      was
      awarded
      money
      from
      the
      province,
      Cana-
     
     
      dian
      Wildlife
      Service,
      Wildlife
      Toxicity
      Fundand
     
     
      the
      Department
      of
      fisheries
      and
      Oceans
      through
     
     
      four
      other
      sources
      and
      this
      previous
      summer
     
     
      had
      a
      total
      of
      eight
      students
      working
      for
      her
      in
     
     
      various
      capacities.
      These
      projects
      are
      related
      to
     
     
      Dr.
      Giberson’s
      primary
      research
      project,
      Cata-
     
     
      maran
      Brook
      in
      New
      Brunswick
      and
      the
      eco-
     
     
      logical
      repercussions
      of
      pesticide
      use.
     
    

    
     
      In
      this
      writer’s
      opinion,
      her
      commitment
      to
     
     
      this
      sort
      of
      field
      work
      and
      teaching
      at
      the
      same
     
     
      time
      make
      Dr.
      Giberson
      an
      example
      worth
     
     
      noting.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      U.P.E.I.
      biology
      professor,
      Dr.
     
     
      Donna
      Giberson
     
    
   
   
    
     
      September
      23,
      1993/X-Press/11