Dorothy Semenow …… the Whisperer
My First Four Score & Fifteen (Abridged)
Birth
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Degrees
High School Diploma, Mt. Aloysius Academy
B.A. Chemistry, Summa cum Laude, Mt. Holyoke College
Ph.D. Chemistry with Biology minor, Caltech (1st woman to obtain a degree)
Ph.D. Psychology, Claremont Graduate University
Awards & Competitive Fellowships
American Chemical Society Undergraduate Student Award
Phi Beta Kappa
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
Skinner Pre-doctoral Fellowship, Chemistry
National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, Chemistry
National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, Chemistry
Public Health Service Postdoctoral Special Research Fellowship, Psychology
National Institutes of Mental Health Research Fellowship, Chemistry-Psychology
National Institutes of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellowship, Clinical Psychology
Blue Mountain Center Writers and Artists Colony Fellowships
National Science Foundation/Science Magazine Visualization Challenge Honor for the DNA Ahead Game & More™
Professional Licenses & Memberships
California Psychologist License
American Psychological Association
Los Angeles Institute of Psychoanalytic Psychology (previous)
American Chemical Society (previous)
Professional Teaching
Eldorado School (Gifted Children Program)
UCLA (Chemistry) Pomona College (Chemistry)
Stanford University (Psychology; Visiting Lecturer)
Mt. Holyoke College Alumna-in-Residence
(Lecturer: All-College, Chemistry, and Psychology; Psychology Consultant to students, faculty, and staff)
Other Professional Activities & Publications
Member Sigma Xi Advisory Group
and Contributor to Report: “Exploration of the Quality of Undergraduate Education in Science, Math and Engineering” (Chair: Anna J. Harrison)
Publications in Chemistry (15)
(far ultraviolet spectroscopy, mechanisms of organic chemical reactions, use of isotopes in organic chemistry)
Publications in Psychology (9)
(creativity in scientists, child development, women’s issues, sex discrimination, group dynamics)
Consultant on enhancement of creativity & critical thinking, empowerment of women & minorities, planning strategies, and personnel issues
Private Practitioner of Clinical Psychology
Group Trainer: UCLA and National Training Laboratories
Steering Committee for Bellingham YWCA Girls’ Choices Programs
for more info www.dnaahead.com
Eric Hansen
Manager of Studio & Media Technology & Digital Asset Manager, WoW Studios, Whirlpool Corp. He is also an avid and passionate landscape photographer who always wishes to find more time behind the lens.
Dave Wheeler
Writer and Illustrator of children’s books and freelance assignments. He is the founder/owner/janitor of Dabble
(http://www.dabbleseattle.com/), a drop in art studio in Seattle’s Greenwood/Phinney
Ridge neighborhood.
January 2026 PGED Spotlight Interview with Dr. Dorothy Semenow, PhD.
In this special Spotlight feature, Gill McNeil interviews Dr. Dorothy Semenow, who talks about her past, present, and the first steps for her exciting future projects. READ NOW
AWIS Interview with Dorothy Semenow
“From CalTech Pioneer to Science Edutainer.” Association for Women In Science (AWIS) Magazine in Conversation with Dorothy Semenow. READ THE ARTICLE
