Leverett's 'Senior' Tutor

Cecily Cannan Selby '46 is a good deal wiser than most resident tutors--as most grandmothers of five are.

With lively, dancing eyes peering behind frameless glasses, Shelby is equally at ease discussing the philosophy of science or chatting about the vision of large corporate firms with residents of Leverett House's C-entry.

"I am very happy to be writing and thinking about science, and coming back to Harvard is wonderful because I'll be with young people who are also writing and thinking," she says.

A graduate of Radcliffe, her educational background is steeped in the hard sciences. In the 51 years since her graduation, however, her professional path has led her to serve on the boards of directors of major corporations including RCA, General Electric and Avon.

Those experiences make her time at Harvard all the more important.

"Too many of us at this age sit on boards and commissions to talk about what to do with our youth without much direct contact with them," Selby says.

Selby maintains a busy schedule between seeing students and conducting policy research. However, she says her real passion is the time she spends at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, America's largest private organization dedicated to marine science and engineering.

With enthusiasm in her British-accented voice and a youthful twinkle in her eyes, Selby speaks passionately about the institute's newly commissioned ship (all 282 feet) and the research voyages it would take around the world--to be conducted on 4,000 square feet of lab space.

Selby went aboard yesterday, heading for New York City, where her three sons live.

Selby is the only daughter of a British physicist who immigrated to the United States during the "brain drain" of the 1930s. Her parents met at the University of London, where her mother played the role of Cecily in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and her father was a stage manager for the same play.

After stints at boarding schools in England and Canada, she entered Radcliffe College at the tender age of 16 to major in physics and minor in government.

"As the only daughter of a charming and charismatic father, of course I ended up following his footsteps," recalls Selby. "Plus, studying physics was part of the war effort."

Upon completion of her undergraduate studies, Selby received her doctorate in molecular biology from MIT.

"The boys were all coming back from the war and everyone wanted to do nuclear physics, so I branched off into biology," explains Selby.

Her career took a turn toward medicine, where she taught histology at Cornell Medical School, specializing in skin and muscle research.

When asked to serve on the board of directors of RCA, Selby jumped at the challenge of exploring a new field. She was the second female member on the board of RCA. At Avon, Selby was the first.

"I was a safe candidate to diversify the board, but RCA ended up with a woman who had the strongest technical background of the group," Selby smiles. "I could understand all their mumbo-jumbo on microprocessors."

Avon did not know of Selby's history of skin research, so her medical knowledge was a pleasant surprise for the company.

Combining the corporate world with the scientific is an endeavor Selby says she would like to expand.

"I am interested in the public understanding of science, and I use gender as the lens to illuminate what is going on in science," she says.

The only female in her class who concentrated in physics, Selby has always been keenly aware of gender differences in the sciences. She is currently working on a gender and science project at the Radcliffe Public Policy Institute.

"I'm deeply concerned about the lab climate at universities and how they affect the future of women in science," Selby says. "If labs really want women, then we have to tell them what our needs and interests are."

Reflecting on her ground-breaking experiences in the scientific community at Radcliffe and in the corporate patriarchal world, Selby remembers her climb to success fondly.

"I am a big feminist, but I struggle to understand sexual harassment," Selby says. "I try to respect and appreciate [the victims'] difficulties but it was a different time under different conditions."

"There wasn't a sense of competition," she laughs. "If anything, the boys were very protective."

In her role as resident tutor, Selby says, she hopes to advise students interested in academic research on corporate possibilities.

"Nowadays there is an intense career focus," Selby says. "It is sad to find a beautiful liberal arts place to be losing interest."

"It is inherent in a system of pre-professionalism, but it still makes you sad," she says

After stints at boarding schools in England and Canada, she entered Radcliffe College at the tender age of 16 to major in physics and minor in government.

"As the only daughter of a charming and charismatic father, of course I ended up following his footsteps," recalls Selby. "Plus, studying physics was part of the war effort."

Upon completion of her undergraduate studies, Selby received her doctorate in molecular biology from MIT.

"The boys were all coming back from the war and everyone wanted to do nuclear physics, so I branched off into biology," explains Selby.

Her career took a turn toward medicine, where she taught histology at Cornell Medical School, specializing in skin and muscle research.

When asked to serve on the board of directors of RCA, Selby jumped at the challenge of exploring a new field. She was the second female member on the board of RCA. At Avon, Selby was the first.

"I was a safe candidate to diversify the board, but RCA ended up with a woman who had the strongest technical background of the group," Selby smiles. "I could understand all their mumbo-jumbo on microprocessors."

Avon did not know of Selby's history of skin research, so her medical knowledge was a pleasant surprise for the company.

Combining the corporate world with the scientific is an endeavor Selby says she would like to expand.

"I am interested in the public understanding of science, and I use gender as the lens to illuminate what is going on in science," she says.

The only female in her class who concentrated in physics, Selby has always been keenly aware of gender differences in the sciences. She is currently working on a gender and science project at the Radcliffe Public Policy Institute.

"I'm deeply concerned about the lab climate at universities and how they affect the future of women in science," Selby says. "If labs really want women, then we have to tell them what our needs and interests are."

Reflecting on her ground-breaking experiences in the scientific community at Radcliffe and in the corporate patriarchal world, Selby remembers her climb to success fondly.

"I am a big feminist, but I struggle to understand sexual harassment," Selby says. "I try to respect and appreciate [the victims'] difficulties but it was a different time under different conditions."

"There wasn't a sense of competition," she laughs. "If anything, the boys were very protective."

In her role as resident tutor, Selby says, she hopes to advise students interested in academic research on corporate possibilities.

"Nowadays there is an intense career focus," Selby says. "It is sad to find a beautiful liberal arts place to be losing interest."

"It is inherent in a system of pre-professionalism, but it still makes you sad," she says