{"id":11585,"date":"2019-07-23T10:06:24","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T17:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/?p=11585"},"modified":"2019-07-23T20:14:15","modified_gmt":"2019-07-24T03:14:15","slug":"biochemist-blazes-trail-for-women-in-stem-and-creates-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2019\/07\/biochemist-blazes-trail-for-women-in-stem-and-creates-scholarship\/","title":{"rendered":"Biochemist blazes trail for women in STEM and creates scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"When alumna Karen Nickel (Chemistry, \u201961) returned to campus after a long and illustrious career in clinical chemistry, the trip \u201cbrought back lots of good memories of my years at Oregon State\u201d and made her feel \u201cyoung again\u201d even as the undergraduates she met made her wonder, \u201cBut was I ever that\u00a0<\/em>young?\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Nickel\u2019s first stops was to the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, where she was impressed by the department\u2019s growth and head Andy Karplus\u2019 vision of its future potential. Indeed, Nickel, who had previously made generous gifts to the College of Science, was so inspired that she created the Karen Nickel Scholarship for undergraduate students in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.<\/p>\n

Nickel would likely have been a biochemistry and biophysics major if it had existed at the time she attended (it wasn\u2019t created until 1967). Her undergraduate research with Professor Tsoo King on heart enzymes sparked her lifelong interest in clinical endocrinology. After graduating from Oregon State, she went on to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry and analytical chemistry with special emphasis on endocrinology from Kansas State University in 1968.<\/p>\n

So naturally, Nickel was a guest of honor at the biochemistry and biophysics department\u2019s 50th<\/sup>anniversary celebration in 2017. \u201cI was maybe the only person there who graduated in chemistry before there was even a biochemistry major, and worked two years at the old Science Research Institute under Tsoo King and Vern Cheldelin,\u201d reflects Nickel. (King and Cheldelin were members of the original 1960s OSU biochemistry team, a group with appointments in Chemistry or Agricultural Chemistry who formed a paper organization called the Science Research Institute, which was the seed organization for OSU\u2019s eventual biochemistry and biophysics department.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been so blessed with career opportunities and that all started here.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What was life like as one of only a few women in chemistry at Oregon State back in the late 50s and early 60s? \u201cIt was quite hard,\u201d Nickel remembers, and not only because of her gender. \u201cWithout a scholarship I had to work throughout the school year and summers to pay my way. Courses were tough and I was competing `with the guys\u2019 in my classes. It would have been a little easier without that added pressure!\u201d<\/p>\n

Nickel also recalls \u201clots of cold and rain and long lab classes in smelly labs\u201d but \u201cvery pleasant and helpful professors\u201d who encouraged her to persevere and to work hard. Both the challenges Nickel overcame and the support she received at OSU put her in good stead for a long and fruitful career: \u201cI have been so blessed with career opportunities and that all started here.\u201d<\/p>\n

After earning her Ph.D., Nickel taught for four years at the university level in Southern California while her children, Mark and Jamie, were small. Then she pursued postdoctoral training in clinical chemistry to qualify for licensure in California as a clinical chemist, the beginning of a 42-year career with a surprise twist in the last chapter.<\/p>\n

Early on, Nickel found herself \u201cthrust into leadership positions,\u201d a fact which she attributes simply to \u201cbeing interested in people and seeing what needs to be done.\u201d She held several positions as a clinical chemist in the newly emerging field of radioimmunoassays. From manager at a reference laboratory in Newbury Park, California, she was appointed laboratory director at the Endocrine Metabolic Center in Oakland and assumed several leadership positions at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry, culminating in being elected its president in 1991.<\/p>\n

In 1993 Nickel was the first woman to become Chief of Laboratory Field Services for the California Department of Health Services, a position she held for 17 years. This program oversees 17,500 clinical laboratories in California and 27,000 licensed clinical laboratory personnel. Even more surprising than being the first woman, according to Nickel, was that she was hired as chief without coming up through the ranks \u2013 \u201cA newcomer coming in as chief was hilarious!\u201d<\/p>\n

Under her tenure, the department assured that individual labs complied with state and federal laboratory laws. She led a team that prepared California for a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA) exemption (a CLIA exemption is granted when state regulations are shown to meet or exceed the federal standard) and established a better career path for laboratory personnel that recognized a broader range of licensing and examining standards for different levels of service. Nickel also fought hard to prevent laboratory fraud and to take enforcement action for quality assurance violations. She is most proud of how she was able to inspire the formerly disparate clinical laboratory professional community to come together and support quality testing in California.<\/p>\n

What is Nickel\u2019s advice for students today? \u201cGet the best education you can, the more STEM the better! Then, work hard and don\u2019t expect everything to be easy.\u201d Any advice for women in STEM? \u201cWomen rule!\u201d she cries. Nickel hopes that her scholarship will \u201cencourage young women to major in biochemistry\/biophysics and continue on to graduate work\u201d in the field. She certainly blazes a remarkable path for them to follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When alumna Karen Nickel (Chemistry, \u201961) returned to campus after a long and illustrious career in clinical chemistry, the trip \u201cbrought back lots of good memories.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9666,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[645351,640488],"tags":[1369,2477],"class_list":["post-11585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni-and-friends","category-bb","tag-scholarships","tag-women-in-science"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6vHeb-30R","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":965,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2014\/04\/what-can-you-do-with-a-science-degree\/","url_meta":{"origin":11585,"position":0},"title":"What can you do with a Science Degree?","author":"Sharon","date":"April 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University Chemistry alumna Dr. Karen Nickel discussed the many uses of a science degree from clinical chemistry and biochemical genetics to molecular diagnostics.","rel":"","context":"In "Alumni and Friends"","block_context":{"text":"Alumni and Friends","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/category\/people\/alumni-and-friends\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State University Chemistry alumna Dr. Karen Nickel ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2015\/04\/karen-nickel.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6462,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2017\/04\/unison-scholarship-biochemistry-junior\/","url_meta":{"origin":11585,"position":1},"title":"Biochemistry student wins Tunison Scholarship","author":"nayaks","date":"April 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Biochemistry and molecular biology junior Tricia Chau received a 2017 Tunison Scholarship for her impressive scholarly achievements.","rel":"","context":"In "Biochemistry & Biophysics"","block_context":{"text":"Biochemistry & Biophysics","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/category\/departments\/bb\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3953,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2016\/05\/biochemistry-student-wins-honors-college-poster-competition\/","url_meta":{"origin":11585,"position":2},"title":"Biochemistry student wins top honors at OSU’s undergraduate excellence competition","author":"farrisd","date":"May 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Congratulations to Hayati Wolfenden, a Biochemistry & Biophysics senior from Bend, Ore., on taking top honors at the 2016 Celebrating Undergraduate Excellence (CUE) competition! Hayati presented her research: \"Site-specific Modification of Glucose Proteins Enabling\u00a0Precise Surface Orientation for Glucose Sensors.\" She worked in the research lab of her advisor Ryan Mehl,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Biochemistry & Biophysics"","block_context":{"text":"Biochemistry & Biophysics","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/category\/departments\/bb\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hayati Wolfenden, student in Biochemistry & Biophysics","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2016\/05\/Hayati_CUE-Winning-poster-2016_web.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2016\/05\/Hayati_CUE-Winning-poster-2016_web.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2016\/05\/Hayati_CUE-Winning-poster-2016_web.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7677,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2017\/07\/isabelle-logan-named-2017-mathews-graduate-fellow\/","url_meta":{"origin":11585,"position":3},"title":"Isabelle Logan named 2017 Mathews Graduate Fellow","author":"farrisd","date":"July 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Doctoral student Isabelle Logan received the 2017-18 Christopher and Catherine Mathews Graduate Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics.","rel":"","context":"In "Alumni and Friends"","block_context":{"text":"Alumni and Friends","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/category\/people\/alumni-and-friends\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9855,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2018\/07\/amber-vogel-selected-as-2018-mathews-fellow-in-biochemistry-to-study-drug-discovery\/","url_meta":{"origin":11585,"position":4},"title":"Amber Vogel selected as 2018 Mathews Fellow in biochemistry to study drug discovery","author":"farrisd","date":"July 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Ph.D. student Amber Vogel received the 2018-19 Christopher and Catherine Mathews Graduate Fellowship in biochemistry and biophysics.","rel":"","context":"In "Alumni and Friends"","block_context":{"text":"Alumni and Friends","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/category\/people\/alumni-and-friends\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4430,"url":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/2016\/07\/first-year-student-named-2016-mathews-graduate-fellow\/","url_meta":{"origin":11585,"position":5},"title":"Biochemistry student named 2016 Mathews Graduate Fellow","author":"farrisd","date":"July 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Allyson Erlendson, a first-year biochemistry and biophysics graduate student, receives the 2016 Christopher and Catherine Mathews Graduate Fellowship.","rel":"","context":"In "Alumni and Friends"","block_context":{"text":"Alumni and Friends","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/category\/people\/alumni-and-friends\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ally Erlendson","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/files\/2016\/07\/Ally_Mathews-Fellow_thumb.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9666"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11585"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11626,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11585\/revisions\/11626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/impact\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}