Radcliffe College President Linda S. Wilson discussed her professional history with a group of about 25 undergraduates at a lunch sponsored by the Institute of Politics (IOP) yesterday.

Part of an IOP lunch series at Memorial Hall, Wilson spent the bulk of her time speaking about her past jobs and her transition from teaching chemistry to administration.

"What does a girl chemist do when she grows up?" Wilson asked rhetorically, as she began her talk.

Wilson said she made the initial leap out of the classroom after a new job confronted her with students who performed on a sub-par level.

"I didn't really know how to teach where students were ill-prepared and not very interested," she said.

Wilson then began her stint as an administrator at Washington University. As part of her administrative position, Wilson began attending national conferences studying science policy.

As policy-makers sought to include more women among their ranks , Wilson said her name was one people recognized. She began to be appointed to more and more committees.

"I'll give myself credit for all the hard work and all the intense travel. I'll give myself credit for being smart," she said. "But there were opportunities there because there hadn't been any [women] there before."

Wilson has chaired the National Research Council's Office of Scientific and Engineering Personnel and has served on the Director's Advisory Council of the National Science Foundation.