Update: Doctor/Filmmaker Gretchen Berland '86 Named a 2004 MacArthur Fellow

In March, Gretchen Berland '86 became the first Pomona graduate to receive the Inspirational Young Alumni Award, given to someone who has graduated in the last 10 years who has shown "dedication, perseverance, and consistency in following his/her vision."

Berland, who has pursued a love of science in ways that have contributed not only to a specific field, but to the larger community, recalls that though she enjoyed science at Pomona, she had some difficulty with test taking. She conceptualized and understood things best when she wrote about them. Since graduating, Berland has continued this nontraditional approach to science through her work with the media and the community. As a producer for NOVA and later the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, she developed programs focusing on scientific concepts and ideas that have been traditionally inaccessible to the lay public, covering topics such as "Chaos" and "The Death of a Star."

During her visit to campus to receive the award, Berland said, "At times science seems like a foreign language which might discourage interested people from entering the field...One of the best things about working with television is that it's one of the only jobs left where you're paid to be a generalist. You can learn about various fields easily because your job is to make them accessible to the public." Berland's media work has brought her national recognition, including an Emmy Award for In-Depth Coverage for "The Race for the Superconductor" (the NOVA series) and an Emmy for Outstanding Series on "Hard Choices" and "A Time for Change" (MacNeil/Lehrer).

After completing a postgraduate science degree at Columbia University, Berland decided to leave "The Biz" and study medicine. Her M.D. in hand from Oregon Health Services University, she is now finishing her residency. While she eventually plans to pursue a master's degree in public health, her primary desire now is "to be a doctor and care for patients." Currently, she is working as a volunteer for the Portland Women's Crisis Line and conducting a research project on the camera as a means of expression and education for violence intervention. -- Julie Kang '98