So Harvard has gone and elected itself a woman president, the first in the university's 370-year history. That means half of all Ivy league universities now have women at the helm, which is a remarkable statistic.

A few weeks ago, scientists got a little excited that Nobel Laureate Tom Cech and neurobiologist Steven Hyman were being considered for Harvard president. But Drew Gilpin Faust, a historian, became the odds-on favorite after Cech withdrew his name from the race, saying he was choosing to stay on as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. And who can blame him? The Harvard job, as Larry Summers knows well, is no cake walk.

I'm a bit wary that Faust's appointment will be bandied about as proof that Harvard has addressed its problems with creating equal opportunities for women. But perhaps scientists still have reason to rejoice. The New York Times reports today that:

Asked Sunday whether her appointment signified the end of sex inequities at the university, Dr. Faust said: “Of course not. There is a lot of work still to be done, especially in the sciences.”

Will Drew Gilpin Faust take Harvard's gender inequities to task?