She wrote The Door in the Dream (published by the National Academy of Sciences 2000), highlighting eminent female scientists through interviews and discussion.

[2] While raising three children, she taught chemistry at Southern Connecticut State University and Quinnipiac College, and worked part-time in industry.

[3] Yale's November 1968 decision to admit undergraduate women beginning in the fall of 1969 gave the university little time to prepare for the transition.

... No single person did more to assure that coeducation went well than Elga, and today's Yale women owe her a great debt of gratitude.

She stated that, "before coming to Yale I had never been concerned with women's rights" and at the end of the first year of coeducation, "These girls have just as much interest in being people as in being someone's wife.

Her experiences had introduced her to issues of gender parity and equal access, influencing her decision to study law.

[12] In addition to writing about the individual scientists, Wasserman developed a series of policy recommendations that would alter traditional norms in science and give women more opportunities for advancement and inclusion.

[12] She identified the importance of achieving a critical mass of women working together to overcome perceived marginalization in a company or research lab.

[12] Through her research and interviews with these scientists, Wasserman found that many of these successful women felt the need to hide their personal lives in order to be taken seriously in their careers.

The award recognizes the important contributions of women faculty and staff who are committed to building equity, diversity, and inclusion and have excelled in articulating and advancing the highest aspirations of the entire Yale community.

This award is named after Elga Ruth Wasserman, whose trailblazing career in the University’s administration and extraordinary advocacy on behalf of Yale women in the early years of coeducation continues to inspire future champions of gender equity and diversity in higher education.”[16] The first recipient of the Elga Wasserman award was Dr. Stephnie Spangler (MD), Clinical Professor of OB/GYN at the Medical School, Vice Provost for Health Affairs and Academic Integrity and University Title IX Coordinator.

[17] In 2023, to recognize her role as a "champion" for women students, Yale University commissioned a portrait of Elga Wasserman by artist Brenda Zlamany.