The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Since my graduation from college many years ago I have made an effort to be inclusive to women in several significant areas of my life.  I work in the optics industry so I cross paths with several professional societies, industrial affiliates, university outreach committees, K-12 initiative committees, etc.  Whenever there is a slating committee that needs input on individuals they should consider for higher level committee positions I will ALWAYS nominate a woman.  I …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
This year I have started a new chapter of my life, I am going back to school after being out of the system for more than 15 years.
My career has reached a roadblock due to the fact that I do not have three letters following my name…P…h…D.  The coursework that I am engaged in is rigorous and the classes require that I learn to program using software such as MATLAB; hone my skills in …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I got a Kindle this spring and have had a chance to do a lot of summer reading for pleasure.  One of the great things about owning an electronic book is that if one is in a quandary about what to read next, one can instantaneously search what other e-books have been popular with the millions of readers who own one too.  That is where I found Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
U.S. Rep. Allen West (R-FL) and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL). (West Photo Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images; Wasserman Schultz Photo Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images), via Miami CBS affiliate WFOR-TV.
Congressman Allen West stated publicly that Congresswoman and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (DWS) is not a lady?  Not a lady?  What is it that constitutes a lady anyway and what definition of the word did West use that Wasserman Schultz does …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Just last week, while I was in Parshall, Colorado, I had the opportunity to listen to a private performance of a Western singer/songwriter, Juni Fisher.  Being an East Coast Northerner I never knew there was a difference between Country Music and Western Music.  I was educated by one of the ranch owners at the Bar Lazy J Ranch who was sponsoring the event that Western Music tells a story about Western life, about work …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
While watching Shawshank Redemption on television on Sunday night I was sickened by a face that showed up on my screen during the commercial break.  It was Keith Olbermann and he was advertising the revival of his crappy show Countdown.  MSNBC is no longer his employer, so they weren’t paying for the ad space.  Instead, a new network is trying their hand at Sexism 101 and have hired Olberhe-mann to continue his slanderous woman-hating …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Two weeks ago, me and a hundred or so optics colleagues of mine were invited to an unveiling of a new 3D cinema projector at a large company here in Upstate, NY.  It was the first time this company had this type of open house and was invested in this type of technology.  The invited guests  were industrial types, professors, and graduate students who all have a vested interest in optics and display technologies.  …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
While almost all of the country is spending their spring watching baseball or discussing the unsuccessful Rapture, we here in Upstate NY have been inundated with political commercials.  Tomorrow is a special election in New York’s 26th Congressional district to replace the shirtless Chris Lee.  It is actually a pretty important election for everyone in the US.  Why?  Because the Democratic and Republican candidates are women.
Upstate NY has a recent history of having a …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
Entrepreneurship is in my genes.  It started with my father leaving industry as a quality control manager for an electronics company to become a real estate broker and then a few years later my mother joined him.  They started their own real estate firm when I was in elementary school and by the time I was a freshman in college they owned a successful real estate franchise for a large national chain. 
My father …

The opinions expressed herein are those of the author, and not necessarily those of The New Agenda.
I interface with physics faculty for three major universities on a regular basis and am also strongly connected to physics departments in prominent universities all over the world.  Back in February I saw an article about the increase in tenured female faculty at the University of Arizona and I was excited to see just how far their College of Optical Sciences had fared compared to the rest of the university.  
Even though …