Shirley M. Tilghman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shirley Tilghman
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Tilghman in 2006
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| 19th President of Princeton University | |
| In office June 15, 2001 – July 1, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Harold Tafler Shapiro |
| Succeeded by | Christopher L. Eisgruber |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Shirley Marie Caldwell
17 September 1946 Toronto, Canada |
| Spouse | Joseph Tilghman (1970–1983) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Queen's University (BSc) Temple University (MS, PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Molecular biology |
| Institutions | Princeton University |
| Thesis | The hormonal regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (1975) |
| Doctoral advisor | Richard W. Hanson |
Shirley Marie Tilghman (born September 17, 1946) is a Canadian scientist and university leader. She is an expert in molecular biology, which is the study of how living things work at a very tiny level. She is now a professor at Princeton University and a former president of the university.
In 2002, Discover magazine named her one of the 50 most important women in science. Tilghman was the 19th president of Princeton University. She was the first woman to hold this important job. She was also the first biologist to lead Princeton.
Before becoming president, Tilghman taught at Princeton for 15 years. She still advises students on their research today. She also helps lead scientific groups around the world. For example, she was president of the American Society for Cell Biology in 2015.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Shirley Tilghman was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her father helped her get interested in math when she was young. She finished high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In 1968, she earned her science degree in chemistry from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. After that, she worked as a high school teacher in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Later, she earned her PhD in biochemistry from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Personal Journey
Shirley Tilghman married Joseph Tilghman in 1970. They had two children, a daughter named Rebecca and a son named Alex. Their marriage ended in 1983. Shirley raised her children while also having a busy science career.
She says that being organized and focused helped her balance work and family. Her goal was to feel good about what she was doing, whether at work or at home.
Amazing Science Research
Shirley Tilghman's science work focused on molecular genetics. This field looks at how genes work and are controlled as living things grow. She studied something called genomic imprinting. This is about how genes from parents are passed down and used.
While studying after her PhD, she helped discover important things. She was part of a team that copied the first gene from a mammal. She also showed that the globin gene was "spliced." This finding helped prove new ideas about how genes behave.
From 1980 to 1986, she worked at the Fox Chase Cancer Center. She continued to make big science discoveries there. In 1986, she joined Princeton University. She used mice to study how genes work. She looked at what happens when new genes are put into embryonic cells.
In 1998, she became the first director of Princeton's Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics. She kept studying how male and female genes are put together. She also looked at how these differences affect how embryos grow. Her many research papers are listed on the PubMed website.
Leading Princeton University
Shirley Tilghman became the 19th president of Princeton University in 2001. She was the first woman to be chosen for this role. She started her job on June 15, 2001.
During her time as president, Princeton grew a lot. The university built a new living area called Whitman College. This helped make space for 500 more undergraduate students. In 2012, Tilghman said she would step down in June 2013. Christopher L. Eisgruber took over as president after her.
Tilghman believed Princeton had two main goals. One was to welcome all talented students, no matter their background. This meant offering lots of financial help. The second goal was to explore important questions and discover new knowledge. This included science, technology, and understanding people.
Academic Growth
Tilghman helped start many new academic programs at Princeton. These included:
- A Center for African American Studies.
- The Lewis Center for the Arts.
- The Princeton Neuroscience Institute.
- The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.
These new centers helped Princeton grow in important areas. They also made sure the university kept working to "make the world a better place."
More Diversity and Access
President Tilghman worked hard to make Princeton more diverse. She wanted more different kinds of students and teachers. She improved the university's financial aid program. This made it easier for students from all backgrounds to attend. She also ended "early decision" admissions to make the process fairer.
She also helped make teaching and research more connected across different subjects. She worked to make Princeton more international. Programs like the Global Scholars Program brought in scholars from other countries. The Bridge Year Program allowed new students to do public service overseas before starting college.
Helping Students with Costs
Princeton became the first American university to replace student loans with grants. This meant students could graduate without debt. Tilghman believed this was very important.
She also made sure that more students received financial aid. The amount of money given to students also increased. This was possible because the university's financial endowment grew. An endowment is like a savings account that helps fund the university.
New Traditions
Tilghman supported policies that made admissions fairer for everyone. She also helped improve living and dining options for students. She worked to connect Princeton's alumnae (female graduates) through events like "She Roars."
In her last year, she led the first big university celebration for "alternative genders." This was a gathering for LGBT alumni. It was the first of its kind in the United States and set a new example for other universities.
Other Important Roles
As president, Tilghman was also a leader on Princeton's Board of Trustees. She also taught classes, even while being president. Her daughter even attended Princeton as a student while Tilghman was president!
She also served on the board of directors for Google from 2005 to 2018. She also helped Queen's University in Canada with its chemistry program.
Awards and Special Honors
Shirley Tilghman has received many awards and honors for her work.
Memberships
She has been chosen as a member of many important groups, including:
- The American Philosophical Society (2000)
- The National Academy of Sciences
- The Institute of Medicine
- A Fellow of the Royal Society (1995)
- A founding member of the International Mammalian Genome Society
- An Honorary Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (2014)
She also helps lead the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. From 1993 to 2000, she led Princeton's Council on Science and Technology. This group helped teach science to students who were not science majors. In 1996, she won Princeton's President's Award for Distinguished Teaching. Many Princeton graduating classes have made her an honorary member.
Awards
Some of her awards include:
- Women in Cell Biology Award (2000)
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science (2002)
- Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Developmental Biology (2003)
- The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Biomedical Research (2005)
- Genetics Society of America Medal (2007)
- American Dream Award for successful immigrants to the U.S.A. (2007)
- Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research (2010)
- Officer of the Order of Canada (2014)
- Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate in Science and Public Service (2014)
- Person of the Year, Science Careers from the Journal of Science (2014)
Honorary Degrees
Shirley Tilghman has received more than 19 honorary degrees from universities around the world. These degrees recognize her great achievements.
Life After Princeton Presidency
After leaving the presidency, Tilghman continued to be a professor at Princeton. She teaches in the Department of Molecular Biology. She also stayed on the board of Google for a while.
She continues to serve as a trustee for other important organizations. These include Amherst College and the Institute for Advanced Study. In 2013, she was chosen to be the president of the American Society for Cell Biology in 2015.
Famous Quotes
Shirley Tilghman has shared many wise thoughts. Here are a few:
"What made it truly thrilling was that the genes were organized in a way that was totally unexpected. So nature took us by surprise."
"There are 25 years of good social science that demonstrate the many cultural practices that act collectively to discourage women from entering and continuing careers in science and engineering. The research is overwhelming, and it is there for anybody to see. On the other hand, the data that would suggest there are innate differences in the abilities of men and women to succeed in the natural sciences are nonexistent."
When asked how she would spend her time after leaving the presidency, she said, "I’m going to be an attentive grandmother."
She also explained why she started a backup day-care option for Princeton employees. This idea came from her own experience balancing her career and raising two children. She said, "For years, I had said that when I retired, I would start a company that hired retired people to sit for working mothers..."
Speeches and Talks
Tilghman gave 11 speeches at Princeton University's graduation ceremonies. She has also spoken at many other graduations and events. She often gives talks at other universities and important places. For example, she has spoken about science policy and the meaning of race in the age of genetics. She has also given testimony to the U.S. Congress about immigration.
