The friendly voice provided a welcome respite from the challenging phone calls that Dean of Science Robert J. Birgeneau had been receiving on WRKO last Monday night regarding "A Study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT."
The speaker was his eldest daughter Catherine, a clinical psychologist who is an intern at the Harvard Medical School. "She was calling to defend me," said Dean Birgeneau, who told his daughter that he would be on the Tai Show but did not expect her to call. He recognized the voice before she identified herself.
"It was terrific," said Dean Birgeneau, who has three daughters.
A version of this article appeared in the March 31, 1999 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 43, Number 24).
