Alumna earns first MSU award for women in science

joan-broderick-80BOZEMAN, Mont. – By the time she earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington State University (’87 chemistry and biochemistry), Joan Blanchette Broderick had worked in four research labs, published three papers, knew she loved chemistry and realized she wanted a career in research.

Now a professor in Montana State University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, she is the inaugural winner of MSU’s Woman in Science Distinguished Professor Award. It was established to promote women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) careers.

In her laboratory Broderick supervises four graduate students, four undergraduates, one senior scientist and one technician working to understand how certain types of metals, particularly iron, function in biology. The work could have wide applications in biomedicine and green energy.

She has published 71 peer-reviewed papers and is recognized as a committed teacher and mentor.

“I absolutely encourage women and anyone to get involved in science, especially at the undergraduate level,” she said. “It completely transformed my life.”