For anyone who doubted whether the new administration would be savvy of the importance of science in America, Obama's inaugural speech provided a great sense of hope. Ann Marie (the Executive Director of TalkingScience) and I watched the inaugural ceremony with a crowd of women (and even a few men) who packed into The White House Project's brunch at Caroline's comedy club on Broadway. When Obama told the world that he will work to "restore science to its rightful place," we couldn't help but break out into a wild, nearly hysteric applause. We also have high hopes that Obama will be an advocate of gender equality in the sciences.

In a recent New York Times article titled In 'Geek Chic' and Obama, New Hope for Lifting Women in Science, journalist Natalie Angier interviews Dr. Mary Ann Mason, a professor at UC Berkley's School of Law. Dr. Mason gathered extensive data regarding the personal lives and family dynamics of scientists at the top of their field, and her findings show significant disparities between men and women. In sum, Dr. Mason's interpretation of the data suggests that women researchers are expected to make larger sacrifices in their personal/family lives as a result of their professional aspirations. Dr. Mason believes that Obama can help by signing an executive order to provide more practical family leave and parental benefits to the recipients of federal grants, many of whom are research scientists.

Obama has long been a proponent of womens' equality in the workplace, and now that he is in a position to make a difference on a level which could set a precedent that fosters equality in science and society, many are confident that President Obama will make the change.

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