An ASU researcher has been pegged to serve on the national executive board of the Association for Women in Science.

Susanne Neuer, an associate professor in the School of Life Sciences, who studies carbon flux and planktonic diversity, was elected last week to serve as a councilor on the association’s national board.

Neuer will begin her term on Jan. 1.

Neuer, elected president of the Central Arizona Chapter of the Association for Women in Science in 2008, said that while the job may be different, the goals are the same.

“The primary goal of AWIS at any level is to advocate for women in science,” Neuer said. “What I want to do now is to take the issues we have been working on at the local level up to the national level.”

Each chapter has different issues in terms of the vision of the organization, Neuer said.

“Some chapters have more graduate students, some have more biologists. They are all different, and this gives us the opportunity to gain visibility for each issue,” she said.

Neuer said she hopes to use the position to encourage young scientists and to form international alliances amongst advocates for women in science.

“What we need to do is to keep encouraging young women to stick with science and continue what they are doing,” she said. “We want graduate students to continue their research and education, and we want to provide them with support like making links with international groups so we can learn from each other and meet other women in similar positions.”

Neuer is replacing her ASU colleague Jane Maienschein.

Maienschein, a regent’s professor in the School of Life Sciences, is finishing her second term on the association’s board. She said it’s someone else’s turn to try their hand at the position she’s held for the past three years.

“It’s quite remarkable,” she said. “Nobody can remember two back-to-back board members from the same institution.”

Maienschein said Neuer will be an effective board member because of her grassroots approach.

“Susan is great because of her ability to connect local chapters with the national organization,” she said. “She is very active in local chapters and is one of the few people who is working at both the local and national level.”

A career in science is a path not many women take, Maienschein said.

“It’s a hard career for women for many reasons,” she said. “For example, many women want a family, and it is hard for many of them to balance research, work and raising a family.”

Arianne Cease, a biology doctoral candidate and member of the local chapter of the Association for Women in Science, said she credits her career path in science to her love of animals and the help of many good mentors and role models.

“In my undergrad years, I met many inspirational women who were making careers out of studying biology and realized that I could too,” she said.

Cease said she met Neuer by attending Association for Women in Science events. Neuer is the perfect person for the position, she said.

“She is an outstanding mentor, researcher and a great role model for other women in science,” she said. “She has made it a priority to be an advocate for women in the STEM [science, technology, engineering, and mathematics] fields and always has relevant expertise to add.”

Reach the reporter at jaking5@asu.edu.