yesim (Gunday) darici

My journey began in Turkey at Middle East Technical University where I was an undergraduate and always excelled in math and physics. One of my professors who did his PhD in the United States told me I should go to America, and he arranged everything. In January 1980, I arrived at University of Missouri, Columbia. Even in high school, my yearbook said 'the whole class learns physics from Yeshu, and she will be a physicist.' After working at an oil company and West Virginia University for 3 years as a research associate, I got my job at FIU and arrived in June 1987 as a physics professor. I set up my lab doing material science, solid-state physics work on gallium arsenide. But what really got my attention and surprised me was that I was the first female physics professor in the state of Florida. None of the universities, not even University of Florida, had a female physics professor. I thought something is wrong. I started thinking about increasing the number of women in sciences and STEM fields, and I saw that careers of women scientists move slower than men because they have kids and face discrimination. Even when hiring a woman, people ask weird questions. If a woman is head of PTA it's seen as bad, but if a man is head of PTA it's wonderful. I got an NSF ADVANCE grant, about $6 million, to help women in STEM fields by educating male faculty about how not to discriminate and ensuring equal salary. In 2010, something that never happened in the world occurred: I became the Director of Women and Gender Studies. Usually someone from humanities or social sciences does that job, never a physicist, because we are a different species compared to humanities professors. I worked on LGBTQA rights and continued working to increase the number of women in STEM fields for about 8 years. Then I became Assistant Provost for STEM and moved into the Provost's office. Three or four years ago, I applied to NSF for another grant to help students in STEM fields. My idea was so simple: we work with students and ask them what is wrong with STEM education and what changes they want to see. Nobody had thought of this before. They gave us $3 million for institutional transformation. Now I'm 70 years old, and the reason I'm not retiring is this faculty success work. I want to make sure our faculty at FIU are successful and out there on the digital platform with clean data. My typical day involves unofficial meetings with faculty who tell me their problems. I'm a problem solver. Nobody even hears about it, just between the faculty and me. I advise them because I've been through a lot and was discriminated against at the beginning of my career. They trust me and tell me their problems, even when they're sick or having issues with their husband. I listen and help them learn how to navigate, how to be successful, and how not to let little things prevent them from doing the big things they're supposed to do. I make sure all our faculty are represented in the best way on the global digital platform and that they get all the awards they deserve, because they don't even know that award world exists. I identify awards, reach out to people, and nominate them. Ranking of universities and digital presence on the global stage is very important. I also handle promotion at the university, third year reviews, distinguished university professor selection, and sabbatical committees. Anything and everything faculty related is what I do.