The Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis is one of the largest and most prestigious graduate programs in biological sciences in the country. With over 450 graduate students and 350 faculty members, the Division is diverse in terms of research, faculty, and students. Historically, women have constituted 51% of the graduate student body in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences. The Division comprises twelve distinct graduate programs, including the Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology (EEPB) program, a unique group where faculty and students combine population genetics, phylogenetic, and ecological perspectives to study the origins and maintenance of biodiversity. As a small program, EEPB at Washington University was subject to natural fluctuations in applicants. Over the course of five years, a gender imbalance developed in the population of graduate students in the EEPB program resulting in a student body of which only 22% were women. This is the story of a grass roots effort that identified the gender imbalance in the EEPB program and successfully reversed the imbalance through cooperative efforts involving graduate students, faculty, and staff.
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