Association for Women in Science

AWIS
____________________________________________________________________
ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Washington Wire

November 2007

Issue I

Greetings!

Give the Best Gift of All-the Gift of Membership in AWIS!

With the holidays fast approaching, now is the time to give the gift of A Network, A Resource, A Voice that will help the women in STEM in your life be the best they can be-gift membership in AWIS. You can download your holiday gift application here.

Your generous gift of an AWIS membership is an investment in the professional and personal growth of your favorite woman in STEM. Each membership includes a subscription to the AWIS Magazine and the Washington Wire, discounts on publications and special events, and the opportunity to join a local chapter of AWIS.

Sign up before December 21, and your new member will receive a holiday card acknowledging that her membership was a gift from you.

Click here for more information, and Happy Holidays!

Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director

In This Issue

Education

Government

Science and Health

International

Careers

National and Chapter Announcements

Opportunities

Featured Jobs

Education

Slow progress for underrepresented faculty

New research indicates the "glacial" progress of underrepresented minorities and women in gaining high-level faculty positions in the sciences at research universities.

More of the same, unfortunately

Government

Double standards apply to women at highest level, too

With other nations having embraced female politicians for decades, the US is still asking itself, "are we ready for a female president?" This vignette from the Howard University student newspaper explores the social and cultural implications of women in power.

Politics and gender

Politics on the brain (and in it)

Academics from several notable research institutions have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure swing voters' reactions to various American presidential candidates. The results are telling.

The scientification of swing voters

Bush rejects NIH budget bill

Comparing the Democratic-led Congress to a "teenager with a new credit card," President Bush vetoed a bill they passed recently to increase the NIH budget by $1 million to a total of $30 million. The bill would also have added to the budgets of the Departments of Labor and Education. It has been returned to the Congress where they will attempt to override the veto-they fell only three votes short before sending it to the White House.

Bush: Democrats are on a "spending spree"

Science and Health

New hope for fibromyalgia sufferers

Fibromyalgia, a disorder that disproportionately affects women, can be mitigated by a treatment program that includes walking, stretching, strength training, and education, says a new research study. A syndrome marked by diffuse, chronic pain, fatigue, and often depression, it affects nine times more women than men.

Read on

Cellular stress response predictive of breast tumor formation

A new translational research study at UCSF has found that cellular responses to stress can predict future formation of the most common form of pre-malignant breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Scientists hope using the technique with patients will aid in prescribing more appropriate levels of treatment for each individual.

Translational research at its best

International

Ivory tower not all it's cracked up to be

A study in Canada reveals the stress of academia is actually harming its faculty-20 percent of the 1500 professors surveyed reported health problems as a result of job stress. More than ten percent were so "clinically distressed" that they could qualify for long-term disability leave. Who was most at risk? Women between the ages of 30 and 59.

Job stress extreme for academicians

Careers

NIH task force: women lose out during postdoc-to-PI transition

This study, published by members of the Postdoctoral Fellows Subcommittee of the Second Task Force on the Status of NIH Intramural Women Scientists, explores the reasons behind the rate of female attrition during scientists' career transition from postdoctoral fellows to principal investigators. Among its results, women were more cognizant of their disproportionate share of family responsibilities, and this factored into their career decisions.

"Falling off the academic bandwagon"

One who made it through the glass ceiling

The first female president of Duke's medical school, Dr. Nancy Andrews, reflects on the hubbub caused by her appointment. She considers how the culture of medicine has and has not changed, and the importance of leveling the playing field for women in academia as well as corporate America.

Andrews makes history--to her dismay

Women can't win

Too bold, too meek, too strong, too weak-women are never perceived as "just right" when it comes to their behavior on the job, or so the data suggests. This New York Times article surveys several recent studies and attempts to make sense of the conflicting signals women are sent about how they should act in order to get ahead.

Even Goldilocks was eventually satisfied

Backslide in computer science, IT gender ratios

The dearth of women in computer science and information technology continues to worsen, with only 11 percent of CS bachelor's degrees going to women in 2006, as opposed to 36 percent in 1983. This article examines the data presented in the recent National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) Scorecard.

Read more

Can't decide when to have children? No problem.

A faculty member and his female graduate student at Duke's Fuqua School of business have created an algorithm that, given your social interests and career goals, can tell you when to have children. "This decision is too complex to logically consider all the relevant aspects intuitively in one's head. Yet, for many, it is too important and consequential to simply go with one's feelings," the two write.

But it won't tell you how to raise 'em

National and Chapter Announcements

Palo Alto AWIS Chapter

Date:           November 15, 2007
Time: 7-9 pm
Location:     PARC Auditorium, 3333 Coyote Hill Rd., Palo Alto
Event:          "From Biology to Cure: Hematopoietic Stem Cells
                     from Cord Blood"
                   Speaker: Prof. Rajni Agarwal, Stanford University
For more information and to register

Central Arizona AWIS Chapter

Date:           November 28, 2007
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: TBD
Event:         "What if I don't want my advisor's job: jobs outside
                     (gasp!) of the academic laboratory"
                     Speaker: Dr. Ira Bennett

For more information, contact Faye Farmer

East Bay AWIS Chapter

Date:           November 29, 2007
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Novartis, room 4.104
   4560 Horton St., Emeryville,
Event:         "Using science and technologies for environmental
                      health problems in developing countries"
                      speaker Christina Galitsky, LBNL inventor.

See www.ebawis.org for more information and directions.

Philadelphia AWIS Chapter

Date:           December 5, 2007
Time: 6-8:15 PM
Location: Eastern Regional Research Center, USDA
                     600 East Mermaid Lane, Wyndmoor, PA
Event:         December 2007 meeting, featuring a special talk
                    about the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia,
                    and rising science stars from local high schools

RSVP by November 23 to Dr. Ellie Cantor

Opportunities

MentorNet Call for Mentors

E-mentoring opportunity--just 20 minutes per week. MentorNet seeks science and engineering professionals in industry and government to mentor engineering and science community college, undergraduate, and graduate students, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, who are interested in pursuing a professional future in the fields of engineering and science. MentorNet also seeks tenured faculty members to mentor graduate students, postdocs, and untenured faculty pursuing faculty careers. Mentoring relationships last eight months. Mentors and students communicate entirely by email.

How can you volunteer to be a mentor?
1) Join the MentorNet community: http://www.mentornet.net/join
2) Follow the One-on-One Mentoring Programs links to create a
mentor profile.

Quality Education for Minorities Opportunity

INFLOW, developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), is an on-line database containing information on individuals with Ph.D. degrees who are from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. It serves as a one-stop source of professional information on doctoral engineers and computer scientists in academia, industry, and government that can be regularly updated by participants via QEM's website.

INFLOW will provide NSF with a source of information on potential proposal review panelists, advisory committee members, and rotators. Additionally, the participants will be provided: information on a variety of professional development opportunities; and a mechanism to access limited contact information on other participants to facilitate potential collaborations. Information on financial support, research, career, and other professional opportunities will be provided to registered individuals to encourage and support the completion of their degree programs.

For more information: http://qemnetwork.qem.org/cise_eng

National Leadership Workshop on Mentoring Women in Biomedical Careers

The NIH Office of Research on Women's Health is sponsoring a National Leadership Workshop on Mentoring Women in Biomedical Careers on November 27-28, 2007 that will target biomedical researchers (men and women) at three levels: postdoctoral fellows, junior investigators, and senior investigators. The workshop will consider guidelines for effective mentoring for career advancement, taking into account the special needs of women and individuals from underrepresented groups.

For more information, including registration: http://womensinscience.nih.gov/mentoring

Nominations Open for NSF Awards

NATIONAL MEDAL OF SCIENCE

The National Medal of Science is the Nation's highest honor for scientists and engineers, and is presented annually by the President of the United States. It was established by the 86th Congress in 1959 as a Presidential Award to be given to individuals "deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, or engineering sciences."
Nomination deadline: December 7, 2007.
Please go to www.fastlane.nsf.gov/honawards/ for detailed nomination information.

ALAN T. WATERMAN AWARD

Congress established the Alan T. Waterman Award in August 1975 to mark the 25th Anniversary of the National Science Foundation and to honor its first Director. The annual award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of $500,000 over a three year period for scientific research or advanced study in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, social, or other sciences at the institution of the recipient's choice.
Nomination deadline: December 7, 2007.
Please go to www.fastlane.nsf.gov/honawards/ for detailed nomination information.

The Pasteur Foundation

UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER 2008 INTERNSHIPS IN PARIS

These 10-week internships at the Institut Pasteur, one of the world's leading private, nonprofit centers for infectious disease research, offer hands-on laboratory experience to undergraduates contemplating a scientific career. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. *Living allowance is $400 per week*. See our website for information and downloads. Deadline: December 14, 2007.

Application and deadline information for both programs may be found at: www.pasteurfoundation.org

Next Generation Bioscience Leaders

Next Generation Bioscience Leaders is an excellent opportunity to advance high potential women leaders. This first-of-its-kind forum will provide high achieving female managers the opportunity to learn from and network with executives from pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotechnology companies. This distinctive experience will set talented scientists and business professionals no the path toward lasting and strategic contributions to the enterprise. Next Generation Bioscience Leaders is a management development opportunity for women six to twelve years into their careers who are ready to assume higher level management positions. Forum dates: January 13-18, 2008.
Registration is due by December 10, 2007.
For more information: http://www.smith.edu/execed

L'Or�al USA Fellowships

A national offshoot of the L'OR�AL-UNESCO For Women In Science program, the L'Or�al USA Fellowships program is open to women at post-doctorate level in physical/material sciences, engineering, technology and mathematics. The L'Or�al USA Fellowships For Women in Science enable young scientists to continue working toward breakthroughs in their research.

Applications available:     Aug. 1-Dec. 15, 2007
Application deadline:         December 15, 2007
Grant year:                        July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009
For More Information About This Fellowship...

AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows Program

The Fellowships help to establish and nurture critical links between federal decision-makers and scientific professionals to support public policy that benefits the wellbeing of the nation and the planet. They support the AAAS objectives to improve public policymaking through the infusion of science, and to increase public understanding of science and technology. The application system is now open and accepting applications for the 2008-2009 fellowship year. It will remain open through the application deadline, 20 December 2007.
For more information, see http://fellowships.aaas.org/

Women in Biomedical Research: Best Practices for Sustaining Career Success

The NIH is sponsoring a "Women in Biomedical Research: Best Practices for Sustaining Career Success," workshop on March 4-5, 2008, to highlight practices that are successfully addressing the major barriers in the career development of women in biomedical sciences. The workshop will consider "best practices" from a range of organizatoins, including academic health centers, pharmaceutical companies, and other branches of governments.

For more information: http://womeninscience.nih.gov/bestpractices

Travel Fellowships: Integrative Physiology - May 14-16, 2008, The New York Academy of Sciences

The New York Academy of Sciences is proud to offer travel fellowships to their international symposium "Integrative Physiology." This 2.5-day conference has been designed to explore the genetic basis of the known functions of many organs, the identification of novel physiological functions for various organs and the definition of genetic cascades leading to frequent degenerative diseases such as metabolic syndrome, heart failure and osteoporosis.

Individuals applying for a fellowship will be expected to author a poster presentation (sole or first authorship is not required). Please refer to our site for further information. Deadline: March 14, 2008

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks qualified candidates for the following positions:

#07--142 - POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW - (Washington, DC) Working with the Research Fellow and Senior Scientist leading the Global Change research theme of IFPRI, the successful candidate will conduct research and analysis on land use patterns and shifts under alternative scenarios of global environmental and economic change.

#07-144 - POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW- (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) - successful candidate will work with other senior researchers to meet the Division's research and capacity strengthening objectives, and will engage in activities including research, capacity strengthening, fundraising, scholarly publication, and communications in collaboration with national and regional agricultural research organizations and systems.

#07-148 - POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW - (Washington DC) - the successful candidate will conduct cross-country analysis on development strategy for higher agricultural and rural growth, cutting hunger and malnutrition, and reducing vulnerability of poor, and develop typology to target donor and national investment across different countries and sub-national regions to achieve greater poverty reduction.

FOR FULL DESCRIPTION & TO APPLY:
Go to www.ifpri.org . Click on "Careers" and "Research" to link you to the above positions. Please complete on-line application, including a complete resume and cover letter.