AASWOMEN Newsletter 04/17/09

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day will be April 22, 2009 and will mark the beginning of "The Green Generation Campaign." Earth Day 2009 is a day of action and civic participation to:

* work towards building a more carbon-free future,

* further develop and use renewable energy sources,

* help end our common dependency on fossil fuels,

* create a new green economy,

* encourage responsible and sustainable consumption.

NASA is getting involved in Earth Day. NASA is hosting an Earth Day Poll for the most important contribution the space agency has made in exploring the Earth and improving the way we live on our home planet. Make your choice at

http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/2009/04/a_nasa_earth_da.html .

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's Digital Learning Network is hosting a live webcast that marries art with science. You can read the NASA Education Office status report and more information at

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.rss.html?pid=31021 .

To find Earth Day activities in your area, enter in your city and/or state at

http://www.earthday.net/search/node .

The PAESMEM Program seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts that enhance the participation of groups (i.e., women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) that are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The awardees serve as leaders in the national effort to develop fully the Nation's human resources in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The NSF full application deadline is April 21, 2009. For more information, see

http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5473 .

[Hannah Jang-Condell tells us that ...] Christina Hoff Sommers is at it again: claiming that applying Title IX to science will ruin America, just as she did around this same time last year, as discussed in previous issues of AASWOMEN: see here, here, and here.

She starts off like this: What's good for women's basketball will be good for nuclear physics. To most Americans, that statement will sound odd.

Well, yes, how can you possibly fairly compare a gender-segregated sport to a field of science? Apples and oranges, anyone?

(click on

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2009/04/christina-hoff-sommers-is-at-it-again.html

to read the rest and to respond to this hatred of women scientists!)

The Sofja Kovalevskaja Award is open to highly acclaimed scholars and scientists from all countries and disciplines. Applicants must have completed a doctoral degree with distinction within the past six years and have published in prestigious international journals or academic presses. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation particularly welcomes applications from qualified, female junior researchers.

This award, granted by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is one of the most generously endowed research awards in Germany.

Award Funding: The funding - up to 1.65 million EUR per award - enables exceptionally promising junior scientists and scholars with outstanding research records to concentrate on high-level, innovative research in Germany, virtually without administrative constraints. The funds provided by the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award over five years allow recipients to:

* Conduct independent research. * Finance a research team at a German university or research institution of their choice. * Cover their living expenses while in Germany.

Application Information: The next announcement for applications is planned for the first half of the year 2009 and the deadline for application will probably be in the beginning of 2010. The selection meeting is scheduled for early summer 2010. The Foundation plans to grant up to eight awards in 2010.

Application forms and detailed information are available on the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation webpage

http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/7360.html

Because the United States requires Brazilian nationals to obtain visas before travel to the US, Brazil requires the same of US nationals. To complete an application, a letter of invitation is needed from the organizers. The link is www.fisica.ufmg.br/~iau2009/lettervisa.html

The IAU and Brazilian organizers have arranged an automatic invitation letter generator on their web page. AAS members traveling to Brazil for the General Assembly should use this tool to print their letter of invitation prior to applying for a Brazilian visa. More importantly, please allow ample time for the Brazilian consular officials to process your application. At least three months lead time is necessary to ensure the timely delivery of your properly endorsed passport. Additional information about Brazilian visas is available here:

http://www.astronomy2009.com.br/visas.html

Sunday, May 3, 10:45am -12:33 pm. Invited Session H6: Sponsored by the CSWP and the Division of Particles and Fields (three women talking on experimental high physics collaboration).

Monday, May 4, 1:30-3:18 pm. Invited Session R5: Women and Minorities in Multi-Messenger Astronomy of Gamma-Ray Bursts. Sponsored by the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, the Committee on Minorities, the Division of Astrophysics, and the Topical Group on Gravitation.

Tuesday, May 5, 1:30-3:18 pm. Invited Session X5: Women and Minorities in Gravity: Science and Career Paths. Sponsored by the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, the Committee on Minorities, the Division of Astrophysics, and the Topical Group on Gravitation.

The Universities Space Research Association's Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), in Houston TX, invites applications for several postdoctoral fellowships in lunar science and exploration.

Successful candidates will join Dr. David A. Kring and over two dozen other scientists in the new Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE), which was recently selected to form part of the science core of the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI). The goals of the Center's activities are to address NASA's highest lunar science priorities and assist with anew generation of exploration activities in preparation of a crewed landing in 2020. Successful candidates will work at LPI and/or in the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) group at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in one of three areas: * Petrologic and geochemical analyses of lunar impact lithologies * Petrologic and geochemical analyses of the lunar regolith * Spectral and/or image analyses of the lunar surface using orbital data

Successful candidates must have a recent Ph.D. in petrology, geochemistry, or planetary remote sensing. The positions will be for two years. Applicants should send * a letter of interest citing this CLSE advertisement * a curriculum vita with a list of publications * a two to three page statement of research interests * a list of three references

to resume_at_lpi.usra.edu. There is no firm application deadline although the first review of applications will begin May 1, 2009.

Candidates should send an e-mail to kring_at_lpi.usra.edu. Additional details of the new lunar science and exploration program are available at

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/nlsi

USRA Point of Contact: Dr. David Kring Lunar and Planetary Institute (281) 486-2119 kring_at_lpi.usra.edu

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa invites applications for an Assistant Research Scientist to organize the detector upgrade projects on the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Hadronic Calorimeter for high Large Hadron Collider (LHC) luminosities as well as the R&D studies on Cerenkov calorimeter techniques and data analysis on CMS experiment for SM Higgs boson search. Duties for this position include the design, construction, and testing of radiation hard calorimeters for high luminosity LHC runs; participation in the Higgs boson search with CMS data by test beams, and radiation damage studies; write computer codes for data acquisition systems, analyze mass data, write papers for publication in scholarly journals, prepare presentations for conferences and workshops; develop independent research concepts for R&D studies; maintain local CMS laboratories, and instruct students on related projects.

Ph.D. in experimental high energy physics with at least 5 years of postdoctoral research in high energy physics, preferably in the CMS experiment with expertise on photo detectors, Cerenkov light detection techniques, and hadronic calorimeter systems. Experience on radiation damage studies, and Higgs boson mass reconstruction techniques are essential; experience on computer cluster maintenance and administration. In addition, the person will have demonstrated experience on leading independent research project and supervising students on their tasks. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required. Desirable qualifications include experience on optical fiber systems, fixed target experiments, flavor physics, computational GRID systems, and very low signal processing techniques.

Apply at

http://jobs.uiowa.edu

refer to requisition 56677. The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

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