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Greetings!
Happy Spring!
Do you murf? Or do you twitter? What about blogging?
The opinions for social networking seem endless. How can we
determine where we want to position ourselves for the future? Do we design two
websites-one for the PC and one for the mobile surfers (murfers!) with the
advent of more SmartPhones or do we do just one website with formatting that is
easily viewed using Smart Phones?
Most professional organizations are having similar
discussions. In fact, today I received an alumni publication from the College
of Biological Science at the University
of Minnesota, and they have just
instituted new FaceBook and LinkedIn pages, plus a channel on YouTube. Everyone
seems to be joining the social networking world in some way to reach their own constituents.
Perhaps, we should too! Therefore, I'm using this column as a
call to action! I need your help...for those of you who consider yourself savvy
with web technology and want to get involved, send me an e-mail and let me know
your thoughts. But along with thoughts and ideas, we also, will need resources
to institute the social networking of choice(s). I see this resource not as money, but as time, oh,
that precious commodity! We will need volunteers to manage these options as
well as, to work together as part of an ad hoc technical advisory committee to
the Executive Board and myself.
This committee could also provide input to other questions such as: How do we utilize meta tags and search engines to get more coverage with
our website? What sites should be linked to our website and who should we link
to? Website traffic summary from Alexa.com shows that each user spends a little
over 8 minutes on the website. Should we try to increase that? Should we build
in the site widgets to show website traffic, stats, or traffic rank? Would our
data-oriented membership be interested in it?
I apologize to those of you who are not interested in
website technology, but I really think we need to address these issues to move
forward, especially to recruit new members. Ideally, I would like to present a
one-year plan (2009-2010) to the Grand Chapter (our ultimate governing board)
for their approval at our National Meeting in June. This recommendation would
include what we will focus on with the chosen social networking options to our
constituents, what resources we would need to budget (if any), and the
individuals who would be willing to manage the various social networking
options.
We can do it! Please send me an e-mail with your
comments!
Thanks and have a great Spring!
United in Friendship through Science,
Dee McManus, Executive Director
gwised@mac.com
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National GWIS News
** Online registration is now available for the SDE/GWIS National Business Meeting, which will be held June 19-21 at the Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) on Centennial Campus at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Click here to visit the GWIS website for online registration.
To register by mail:
1) Send a check made payable to SDE/GWIS and with National meeting in the memo line to Judith Nuss-Steele, SDE/GWIS Treasurer, 19023 86th Ave; Edmonton, Alberta T5T 4Y2 Canada
2) Contact Jennifer Ingram with the following information: 1) arrival date and time and departure date and time and flight information; and 2) Would you like to go out to dinner with the GWIS group Friday evening? Yes or No. Contact Jennifer by phone at 919-668-1439 or email at jennifer.ingram@duke.edu or by mail at 105 Colchis Ct., Cary, NC 27513.
National Business Meeting Program:
Committee meetings and the National Council Meeting will be held on Friday, June 19, with Saturday, June 20 reserved for the Grand Chapter Meeting. The Friday evening social event will be dinner in downtown Raleigh.
Please note that National GWIS has funds for travel to the National Meeting for chapter members who are interested in attending. There are eight $250 awards available-generally one award per chapter. We encourage the chapters to match this award if possible. Information about the travel award will be on the website shortly or contact Dee McManus for more information.
Top of page |
National News Headlines
Salmonella has been detected in pistachio-containing products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, CA, which is voluntarily recalling its products. It is not yet known whether any of the Salmonella strains found in the pistachio products are linked to an outbreak. The FDA is conducting genetic testing of the samples to pursue all links. Until the FDA is able to provide more information, consumers should not eat pistachios or food products containing them (such as pistachio bakery goods and pistachio ice cream) unless they can determine that the products do not contain pistachios from Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc. Read the full FDA announcement. Search an FDA database of recalled products.
The American Association of University Professors released its annual report with a comprehensive analysis of available of faculty salaries at colleges
and universities around the country. This year's report encourages faculty
members to take action now to ensure that cuts to higher education
funding do not undermine the foundation upon which colleges and
universities are built: their faculties. Wrong choices now, the report
warns, could have negative consequences for years to come. Visit AAUP's website to read the report.Top of page |
| Chapter Activities
 Xi Chapter had a booth at the annual International Women's Day Celebration, held this year on March 14th at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.
Xi Chapter president Michelle Carter (center) and Executive Director Dee McManus (right) discuss GWIS with a visitor.
Eta Chapter is still recruiting new GWIS members. Dr.Elfriede M. Linsmaier-Bednar is working with the
respective directors of the University of Chicago and Northwestern University
Graduate Student Development Programs that are in disciplines relevant
to GWIS' missions. These connections should be very fruitful in developing a core membership
for Eta.
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| Websites of Interest |
Tired of all the negativity in the news media? Here are some websites with good news:
The magazine "The Scientist" is conducting a survey of salaries in the life sciences. Visit The Scientist's website to participate.
Visit the Breast Cancer site to "click daily" in order to donate mammograms for underprivileged women. It costs you NOTHING to go to their site and click on the pink "click here to give" button. The corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising. Visit www.thebreastcancersite.com.
Due to a partnership between Cornell University Library and Amazon.com, about 90,000 titles from Cornell's library shelves will be available as print-on-demand books as well as online. Customers who order a title in print will receive a reproduction of the original pages in paperback format. Orders can be placed on the library's bookstore page at http://bookstore.library.cornell.edu/ or directly through Amazon.com, and titles can be found through Google's Book Search.
The NIH has a new Clinical Research Web site: Visit http://clinicalresearch.nih.gov. The new Clinical Research Web site provides information on how clinical research is conducted and the role that clinical trial participants play in the process. Links to "Research Results for the Public" and "NIH News in Health" the site provide information on the successful gains in knowledge resulting from clinical research and the impact being made on public health.
The University of Alabama has prepared videos illustrating how to anticipate what to do in cases of scholarly misconduct. Visit the U of Alabama's site.
Top of page |
MentorNet News
For
the past several years, GWIS has maintained a partnership relationship with
MentorNet giving GWIS members the ability to fully participate as mentors or
protégés at no additional fee.
MentorNet conducts an annual survey to monitor the programs' growth and
benefits. The following are last year's
results as they pertain to GWIS participants in the MentorNet mentoring
program. These results indicate that for
those that do participate there is a great deal of benefit for both the mentor
and the protégé.
We hope that as you read
these results you will seriously consider taking advantage of this wonderful
GWIS membership benefit and join MentorNet (www.mentornet.net).
2007-08
- Sigma Delta Epsilon, Graduate Women in Science, Inc. (GWIS) survey results from 5 GWIS respondents.
Questions and Answers (Rated on a scale of 1 to 5)
I valued that my mentor did not have a self-interest (personal or
professional "stake") in the outcomes of my decisions/choices. (1 Strongly Disagree
--> 5 Strongly Agree): 4.7
My mentor provided support and encouragement on an ongoing basis. (1 Strongly Disagree
--> 5 Strongly Agree): 4
Because of participating in MentorNet's One-on-One program, I am more
confident that I have chosen the right field. (1 Strongly Disagree
--> 5 Strongly Agree): 3
I feel that my institution/professional society should continue to
partner with MentorNet to enable other protégés like me to participate in
this program. (1 Strongly Disagree --> 5 Strongly Agree): 4.3
MentorNet filled a gap in my support network. (1 Strongly Disagree
--> 5 Strongly Agree)
3.7
On average, how many minutes do you spend each week
writing email messages to, and reading email messages from, your mentor? 13.3
If you have any questions or need more information, please contact:
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Funding, Job and Other Opportunities
2009 ASM Kadner Institute in Preparation for Careers in Microbiology. Intensive skills training in key topics important for choosing and succeeding in a microbiology career. Topics include grant writing, scientific presentations, teaching and mentoring, career planning and ethics. Institute is open to senior-level graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in the first two years of their postdoctoral position. Institute will be held July 18 - 22, 2009 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Visit www.asmgap.org for more information and application details.
Application Deadline: May 15, 2009
Join a webinar sponsored by AAAS/ Science business office to learn more about exciting and rewarding careers outside of academic/industrial research. The roundtable discussion will look at the various career options open to scientists across different sectors, strategies you can use to find a nonresearch career, and the future of the scientific work force in nontraditional careers. The webinar will be held Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 12 noon Eastern; 9 a.m. Pacific; 4 p.m. GMT. Visit the AAAS website to register. Become a facilitator and train new college graduates how to negotiate for fair and equal pay! The American Association of University Women (AAUW)
and The WAGE Project have formed a partnership to offer $tart $mart Campus
Negotiation Workshops to 500 college campuses over the next three years. These
nuts-and-bolts workshops, piloted by WAGE in 2007 and 2008 on more than
60 campuses (many in partnership with an AAUW branch), will be
presented by trained AAUW facilitators. AAUW and WAGE urge all campuses
in the nation to offer this valuable workshop, which can serve as a
powerful influence in the lives of young women. Visit the AAUW website to volunteer. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the opportunity for
investigators and United States institutions/organizations with active
NIH Research Grants to request administrative supplements for the
purpose accelerating the tempo of scientific research on active grants.
Support for these supplements will come from funds provided to NIH
through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Consistent with the intent of the
Recovery Act, the purpose of this program is to promote job creation
and economic development along with accelerating the pace and
achievement of scientific research. Read the full announcement at the NIH's website. | |
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