Astronomy

AASWomen for June 1, 2012

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of June 1, 2012
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson, and Michele Montgomery

[This week's guest editor is Daryl Haggard. Daryl is a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) at Northwestern University. She studies AGN and their host galaxies, accreting compact binaries, and accretion-driven outflows using multi-wavelength and time domain surveys.]

This week's issues:

1. Gender statistics for tenured astronomers: updates needed

2. Vibrant Research at a Liberal Arts College

3. Family Leave - International Comparison

4. Gender Equity Conversations Report Published by CSWP

5. Female 'Stereotype Threat' Brain Drains U.S. STEM

6. Girl Scouts: Not just cookies. We want science!

7. Top Women in Science to Follow on Twitter

8. The Women in Science Hall of Fame: Emilie du Châtelet

9. Last week to apply for the M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship

10. Second "Women in Physics" Conference in Canada

11. Women in STEM Book Reviews/Summaries

12. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter

13. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter

14. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter

1. Gender statistics for tenured astronomers: updates needed
From: Nancy Morrison [NMorris_at_UTNet.UToledo.edu]

Because of the importance of role models for female graduate students, CSWA maintains a list of the percentage of women among the tenured faculty members of Ph.D.-granting departments and among tenured staff members of astronomy institutes/universities/observatories in the US. For accuracy, we arrange for these percentages to be confirmed by a member of each organization.

If the percentage of tenured women in your department or research institution has changed this year, or if you would like us to add your department to the list, please help us by sending updated figures. We know that some of those single-digit values will rise as junior faculty members earn tenure.

Remember: include only departments granting a Ph.D. in the US, and only full-time, tenured faculty (not research faculty, emeriti/ae, etc.). Joint departments, such as physics and astronomy, are included; please include numbers for the whole department, not just the astronomers. For joint appointments with other departments, please give the fraction of time the person spends in your own department.

For the data and further details, please see

http://www.aas.org/cswa/percent_tenured.html

2. Vibrant Research at a Liberal Arts College
From: Nicolle Zellner via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

[Nicolle Zellner is an Associate Professor of Physics at Albion College, where she teaches general astronomy and upper-level physics courses. Her research interests focus on understanding the impact history in the Earth-Moon system, the extraterrestrial delivery of biomolecules, and how impacts affect the conditions for life on Earth. Nicolle actively engages in professional and public outreach activities, including invited talks and observing sessions.]

Hi. My name is Nicolle Zellner and I teach at a liberal arts college.

I imagine your collective reply would be "Hi, Nicolle."

Privately, though, you might say to me, "Wow. You must teach a lot." or "How do you find time for research?" or even "Too bad you had to give up research." In the snarkiest of all comments, I?ve heard "Wow. You couldn?t do research so now you have to teach."

My goal today is to change your mind about what it means to teach AND do research at a liberal arts college.

To read more:

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

3. Family Leave - International Comparison
From: Laura Trouille via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

A friend (thanks Diego Fazi!) recently posted on facebook this image

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0EoWvWRd6t0/T8TdQJuxhUI/AAAAAAAAADQ/2YVMblzzyMo/s1600/paidLeaveMeter.jpg

showing various national policies for the number of weeks provided for maternity leave. Click here for the raw data:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/lab_par_lea_pai_mat_lea-labor-parental-leave-paid-maternity

Yes, men and women in other countries face other obstacles in achieving work-life balance. This figure is simply pointing out the reality that the Family Medical Leave Act falls short and didn't have to.

To read more:

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

4. Gender Equity Conversations Report Published by CSWP
From: WIPHYS, May 29, 2012

Building on the success of the 2007 workshop, "Gender Equity: Strengthening the Physics Enterprise in Universities and National Laboratories," the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP) began offering a new type of site visit to university physics departments and national laboratories: Conversations on Gender Equity.

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), CSWP conducts the Conversations on Gender Equity site visits to foster dialogue between visiting discussion leaders and the members of departments or laboratories they visit. Following the inaugural visit series, a final report was compiled showcasing the best practices for this new program.

This report is available online:

http://www.aps.org/programs/women/workshops/gender-equity/sitevisits

5. Female 'Stereotype Threat' Brain Drains U.S. STEM
From: Daryl Haggard [dhaggard_at_northwestern.edu]

[A recent blog posting on WOMENSENEWS by Rosalind C. Barnett and Caryl Rivers. -Eds]

Negative perceptions are still choking off women's access to careers in science, technology, engineering and math. But if girls are encouraged in the early grades they will benefit, along with the U.S. economy.

To read more:

http://womensenews.org/story/women-in-science/120524/female-stereotype-threat-brain-drains-us-stem

6. Girl Scouts: Not just cookies. We want science!
From: Daryl Haggard [dhaggard_at_northwestern.edu]

[This article on the Girls Scouts from CNNMoney recalls Julia Kamenetzky's guest post to the Women in Astronomy blog (May 3, 2012). -Eds]

Girl Scouts are now getting more of what they want...and it's not just cookies. It's actually science, technology, engineering and math, the so-called STEM fields.

To read more:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/24/news/economy/girl-scouts-stem/index.htm

7. Top Women in Science to Follow on Twitter
From: Daryl Haggard [dhaggard_at_northwestern.edu]

The blog Under the Microscope has compiled a list of Twitter resources for Women in Science:

http://www.underthemicroscope.com/blog/top-women-in-science-to-follow-on-twitter

You can follow the AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy @AAS_Women.

8. The Women in Science Hall of Fame: Emilie du Châtelet.
From: Daryl Haggard [dhaggard_at_northwestern.edu]

This is a fun historical piece about Emilie du Châtelet (1706-1749), an intellectual and scientist in an era when women rarely entered either domain. Here's a quote from her, which appears at the end of the blog:

"Judge me for my own merits, or lack of them, but do not look upon me as a mere appendage to this great general or that great scholar, this star that shines at the court of France or that famed author. I am in my own right a whole person, responsible to myself alone for all that I am, all that I say, all that I do. It may be that there are metaphysicians and philosophers whose learning is greater than mine, although I have not met them. Yet, they are but frail humans, too, and have their faults; so, when I add the sum total of my graces, I confess I am inferior to no one."

http://blog.mikerendell.com/?p=2024

9. Last week to apply for the M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship
From: WIPHYS, May 29, 2012

APS is accepting applications for the M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship. This award is intended to enable women to resume physics research careers after an interruption. The deadline to apply is June 1, 2012. For more information and/or to apply: http://www.aps.org/programs/women/scholarships/blewett

10. Second "Women in Physics" Conference in Canada
From: WIPHYS, May 29, 2012

WIPC Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the second "Women in Physics" Conference in Canada will be held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, August 1-4, 2012. Young women, especially those from the Pacific Northwest region, are encouraged to participate. The conference is aimed at young women in all areas of physics (including Engineering, Physics, and Astronomy) primarily undergraduate and graduate students, and early career physicists and postdocs.

The conference features invited plenary speakers and panelists, contributed talks and posters, a visit and tour of the TRIUMF laboratory. The goals of the conference include building a strong community of women physicists, sharing physics research results and ideas, raising awareness of careers in science and technology, and working towards increasing the participation of women in physics.

Thanks to the generous sponsors: registration is only $30 for students, and a limited number of Student Travel Awards are available. Deadline for abstract submission is June 15, 2012. Travel grants ($100-$250) will be allocated staring on June 20th. The early (reduced) registration deadline is June 29, 2012; increased registration fees are in effect afterwards.

Participants may register, book UBC On-campus Accommodations, and apply for a Student Travel Award online:

http://www.phas.ubc.ca/~wipc2012

11. Women in STEM Book Reviews/Summaries

* Breaking into the Lab: Engineering Progress for Women in Science http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=419588&sectioncode=26

* Unlocking Your Brilliance: Smart Strategies for Women to Thrive in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-purcell-pe/stem-gender-gap_b_1545620.html

12. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org

All material will be posted unless you tell us otherwise, including your email address.

Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above.

13. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List by email:

aaswlist+subscribe_at_aas.org

Be sure to follow the instructions in the confirmation email. (Just reply back to the email list)

To unsubscribe by email:

aawlist+unsubscribe_at_aas.org

Join or leave AASWomen, or change your membership settings:

https://groups.google.com/a/aas.org/group/aaswlist

You will have to create a Google Account if you do not already have one, using

https://accounts.google.com/newaccount?hl=en

Google Groups Subscribe Help:

http://support.google.com/groups/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=46606

Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above.

14. Access to Past Issues

http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

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Astronomy