Astronomy
By and large, the Women in Astronomy and Space Sciences last week was a success. This is not to say that it was perfect. Among the criticisms I've heard:
Any other criticisms about the meeting out there? Now's your chance to get that bee out of your bonnet!
- Summit On Gender And The Postdoctorate: Vol. 1
Last week, I attended the National Postdoctoral Association'sSummit on Gender and the Postdoctorate, which was held in Philadelphia last week, on March 11-12. I started writing up my thoughts about the meeting, and it started to get really long,...
- Wia 2009 - Results?
Regarding amydove's comment to WIA 2009: Criticisms that the meeting didn't really have an outcome: it will. The CSWA has been tasked to develop a Strategic Plan, which includes identification of issues to be addressed, goals to achieve, strategies...
- Wia 2009: Not Quite Done Yet
The meeting is over now, but I still have so much to say and no time right now write it all up. But I will say: I saw Michelle Obama!! (through a window with many Secret Service agents in between, but still! She was maybe 20 feet away!) Tina Tchen (Director...
- Wia 2009: Friday
Today is a short day. And I'm getting ready to go on the White House tour, and suddenly I don't have time to keep blogging. But @ashpags and @whymommy are doing a very capable job of live-tweeting. I hope to post a recap of the White House visit...
- Thoughts On The Job Market And A Book Recommendation
I have been incredibly busy these last few days, especially with the Women in Astronomy and Space Sciences coming up real soon. As the youngest member of the organizing committee, I find myself being turned to quite frequently regarding issues for early...
Astronomy
WiA 2009: criticisms
By and large, the Women in Astronomy and Space Sciences last week was a success. This is not to say that it was perfect. Among the criticisms I've heard:
- The continuing emphasis on faculty jobs as the ideal career trajectory. From Alyssa (aka Mrs. Comet Hunter):
The thing that bothered me was the implication that people who took these careers only did so because they couldn?t get a tenure-track position for whatever reason (children, geographical location, health, having to work part-time, etc.). Why is it so hard to understand that some of us actually want these jobs? That we strive for them from very early on? It?s not a consolation prize for us. Please stop treating us like second-class citizens just because we don?t want an academic job.
(Read more about her views here and here.) - The lack of a discussion about how the current economy will affect women and minorities in astronomy. I've discussed this some myself. The best way to promote diversity in science is to encourage more people to study science. However, if there aren't enough jobs for everyone, are we misleading all these people we are training to become scientists?
- The exclusivity of the White House tour. I feel like I fielded more complaints about this subject than any other. A few weeks before the conference, we finally got word from the White House about our tour request. We were given a grand total of 40 slots for the tour, but the conference attendance was more like 250. An executive decision was made to invite about 20 senior women. We felt it was important to also include the views of junior astronomers, so the remaining invitations were extended to recipients of the early career travel grants, because they had already gone through a review process. Because of security issues we had to finalize the list one week ahead of time. Perhaps this could have been handled better to make fewer people left out, but decisions had to be made quickly during crunch time.
Any other criticisms about the meeting out there? Now's your chance to get that bee out of your bonnet!
- Summit On Gender And The Postdoctorate: Vol. 1
Last week, I attended the National Postdoctoral Association'sSummit on Gender and the Postdoctorate, which was held in Philadelphia last week, on March 11-12. I started writing up my thoughts about the meeting, and it started to get really long,...
- Wia 2009 - Results?
Regarding amydove's comment to WIA 2009: Criticisms that the meeting didn't really have an outcome: it will. The CSWA has been tasked to develop a Strategic Plan, which includes identification of issues to be addressed, goals to achieve, strategies...
- Wia 2009: Not Quite Done Yet
The meeting is over now, but I still have so much to say and no time right now write it all up. But I will say: I saw Michelle Obama!! (through a window with many Secret Service agents in between, but still! She was maybe 20 feet away!) Tina Tchen (Director...
- Wia 2009: Friday
Today is a short day. And I'm getting ready to go on the White House tour, and suddenly I don't have time to keep blogging. But @ashpags and @whymommy are doing a very capable job of live-tweeting. I hope to post a recap of the White House visit...
- Thoughts On The Job Market And A Book Recommendation
I have been incredibly busy these last few days, especially with the Women in Astronomy and Space Sciences coming up real soon. As the youngest member of the organizing committee, I find myself being turned to quite frequently regarding issues for early...