Judith Hough -Goldstein, entomology, is the new chair of the Commission on the Status of Women, replacing Carol Hoffecker, Richards Professor of History.

"I am honored to be selected to chair the commission, which has done so much for women at the University and has helped make it a welcoming place for women," Hough-Goldstein said. "I am looking forward to working with the commission as it continues its efforts to improve opportunities for women, support them in their careers and recognize their accomplishments through such events as the Women of Promise dinner.

"Although much has been accomplished, the commission is still in the forefront in promoting equity for women," she said.

Hough-Goldstein first became acquainted with the commission when she came to Delaware in 1981, and she said she was impressed that the University had such a commission as well as the Office of Women's Affairs.

"The commission held a luncheon for new women faculty. I was the only woman faculty member in my department and had just moved to the area so the luncheon was a positive experience for me, providing an opportunity to meet other women faculty members. It is a tradition that is still continued by the commission to help new women faculty feel at home on campus," she said.

"This year, the commission is focusing on women in science and engineering and has formed a committee to look at UD in terms of gender issues and numbers in those fields," Hough-Goldstein said.

"Last spring, a speaker from MIT discussed that school's study of women faculty and the resources available to them as compared to their male colleagues. The study discovered definite discrepancies. The MIT study provided the catalyst for looking at the opportunities for women in the sciences and engineering on the UD campus.

"In addition, the Commission on the Status of Women Student Caucus will be examining gender issues for graduate students in the sciences and engineering," she said. "The caucus is sending out letters to all new female graduate students, telling them what resources are available to them, such as the Office of Women's Affairs, and telling them about the caucus and inviting them to join."

Hough-Goldstein, who chairs the entomology and applied ecology department, was in the first wave of women entering professions that previously had few women during the 1970s, she said. After receiving her bachelor's degree from Harvard University, she attended Cornell University, where she received her master's and doctoral degrees in entomology.

"When I started graduate school, there were few women in such fields as entomology, but the number increased substantially. As a result, the current generation of male faculty are used to working with women in graduate school and, in general, accept them as colleagues," she said.

Hough-Goldstein said her own experience at UD has been positive. "The University and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources have both been welcoming places for women. Former Dean Donald Crossan and current Dean John Nye both have sought to have a diverse faculty, and the number of undergraduate women in the college has grown from being a minority to a majority."

Hough-Goldstein's research involves integrated insect pest management, biological control, insect behavior and vegetable pests, and she has received grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, DuPont and other companies and has published extensively in her field.