Paula Yurkanis Bruice is a True Believer

Paula Yurkanis Bruice is a True BelieverPaula Yurkanis Bruice is a girl from England, raised by her strict, Franciscan mother. Her father, a doctor, died when she was young, and Paula's mother has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of poor children. When she was eight, Paula made her way to New York City to live with her mother. Here, she excelled in sports and musical theatre and enjoyed learning about science.As Paula learned about organic chemistry, she realized that her future would be as a chemist. The next step for her was to become a professional writer, and she completed her degree at Manchester University. Her first job was as a copywriter at an advertising agency, where she met a man named Martin who worked there.As time went on, Paula and Martin had many children, and they wanted to start a family of their own. To help them get through their first few years, they began applying for public assistance. One such scholarship offered to single mothers was the Randolp h-Newman Scholarship. The paperwork was long and expensive, but eventually they were accepted. The money was meager at first, but the Pell Grant could not cover all of the expenses, so they received help from the scholarships and a reserve fund.During the summer of 1977, Paula became acquainted with organic chemistry professor Susan Brownell. She learned that the professor had an unusual approach to teaching, and she was intrigued. When she returned to Manchester University to finish her Bachelor's degree, she joined the organic chemistry department. With her degree in hand, she began to focus on organic chemistry and physics research. In fact, her skills helped her earn a position as one of the lead scientists in the field.As a result of Paula's extensive research on organic chemistry, Paula became very well known in the field. That's when she realized that she had a unique chance to learn about how the world works. As the need for her services increased, she started to teach speci al workshops on organic chemistry. She spent more time volunteering in the university's students' union, to provide financial aid for their studies.Dr. Bruice spent much of her time researching organic chemistry, though she also devoted her time to teaching organic chemistry workshops. Eventually, she even made a career change. She began to work for a non-profit organization that provided free organic chemistry classes to women. The organization included such schools as the Center for Advanced Study of Women in Science and Technology, which is located in Santa Barbara, California.While serving as a volunteer assistant, Paula and Dr. Bruice learned how important it was to include women in the research, and they began to design courses specifically designed for women. They also taught international philosophy classes at the American School of Philosophy in Chicago. These classes covered a wide range of subjects, and they included courses in ethics, political science, history, and psyc hology. After three years of volunteering, Dr. Bruice earned her PhD in philosophy.Dr. Bruice will continue to teach organic chemistry workshops to women, and she hopes to further her education so that she can teach courses in advanced physics and bioorganic chemistry. While the women's institute provides classes in economics, business, computer science, and English, the center also offers instruction in advanced physics, environmental biology, and molecular biology. Though they are currently at the state level, there are plans to build a women's center at the college level.