Ellen Weaver

Excerpted from the 2010 NCC Awards Banquet Newsletter Article by Kelly Harradine
Ellen Weaver, PhD, in whose honor one of the awards is given and former National Awis president (1992-1993) came to the (talk) event with her granddaughter at her side. She shared a story that reflected on how far woman in science have come since her days as a professor at San Jose State University. As one of her first scientific accomplishment, Ellen developed a way to measure chlorophyll and thus productivity in oceans. In 1979 she was asked to join a group from Scripps on a research cruise to the Antarctic to measure chlorophyll. At the last minute, she was told that she could not join the trip because the "funding agency" does not allow women on ships. The following year she traveled to Washington and sat down with a person from the funding agency who then blamed the "coast guard" for baring her from working on the ship. Thanks to her efforts, the next year Ellen was allowed on the trip. Coincidentally, the day after the banquet the US Navy removed the ban on women to work on submarines.

Excerpted from NCC Awards Program
Ellen Weaver, PhD, is a Past-President of National AWIS. After receiving her B.A. in Chemistry from Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University, she worked as an analytical chemist for the Manhattan Project and Standard Oil of Ohio and Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, CA. She returned to school, earning her M.A. in Biological Sciences from Stanford and her Ph.D. in Genetics from UC Berkeley. Dr. Weaver worked for several years on the genetics and mechanism of photosynthesis before joining the faculty of San Jose State University.
In addition ot her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Weaver has served San Jose State as Director of the SJSU Foundation and as Interim Executive Vice Preident. Retiring from teaching in 1991, she served two additional years as Associate Dean for Development in the College of Science. Dr. Weaver has been an officer and director of many professional societies and organizations including Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, Mills College Science Advisory Board, Associated Western Universities, Institute of Marine Resources, the Sea Grant COmmittee and the American Socity of Plant Physiologists.
Dr. Weaver has been a board member and President of the Sempervirens Fund, a conservation organization dedicated to acquiring and preserving natural land and scenic vistas in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and thereby extending Big Basin and Castle Rock State Parks. Dr. Weaver also served on the board of The Textbook League, which works towards the improvement of secondary texts in science, history, social sciences, geography, and health. Dr. Weaver was an early member of AWIS, serving as membership chair for 1971-1975. She was Naional AWIS president from 1992-1993. Dr. Weaver was elected an AWIS Fellow in 1996.
The Nothern California Chapters of AWIS recognize Ellen Weaver by giving an award in her name to an outstanding female scientist who is early in her career and who takes time to help others.