Senior Thankful Cromartie first dreamt of a career in journalism when she went off to college, but to her surprise she will graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in physics.
Cromartie is the co-president of the Women in Physics club at UNC and has been an active member for the past two years.
“There is usually only one or two girls in my physics classes, and that could be really intimidating,” Cromartie said.
Female undergraduates founded Women in Physics three years ago, and the organization aims to provide resources and an encouraging social atmosphere for women in the field.
Cromartie said the club is important because there should be a stronger female presence in the field of study.
As of July 2013, women made up about 13 percent of faculty members in all physics departments, according to the American Institute of Physics.
The group holds weekly meetings on Thursdayswhere female physics students discuss their homework questions, listen to guest speaker lectures and eat dinner together.
Sheila Kannappan, a female professor in the department of physics and astronomy, said the group provides a supportive environment for women to successfully finish their degree requirements and go further in the field.
“They do support each other and say, ‘Hey, you do have a community, and you are not alone,’” she said.