Greetings!
Happy Holidays! The Washington Wire will be on vacation until the new year, so look for us again in January. We are still seeking a capable member to take over the volunteer position of Editor-in-Chief of the AWIS Magazine. If you have some experience with magazine publication, are a good
editor, and a good writer, you may be the ideal candidate. The job
entails overseeing the publication of four issues of AWIS Magazine per
year, including generating content for the magazine, overseeing the
editing and revising of articles, and collaborating with the magazine's
designer on the magazine layout.
You'll find an in-depth description of the editor's duties here and if
you're interested, please send me an e-mail at awis@awis.org All the best to you and yours, and Happy New Year! Janet Bandows Koster Executive Director |
| Education |
Young women win in science
For the first time in history, the two grand prizes in the
Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology have been won by
women. The three female high school students, one who worked
individually and the other two who worked as a team, have been awarded
a total of $200,000.
Girls lead the way in prestigious science competition
MIT tenure parity nonexistant
Despite the university's purported focus on attracting more women to academia in the last decade, only 16 percent of tenured faculty at MIT are female (up from 10.5 percent in 1997). Additionally, only one of the 26 faculty members granted tenure so far this academic year has been a woman. So what's MIT going to do about it?
So much for practicing what you preach?
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| Government |
Peer review shakeup at the NIH
The NIH is currently considering a number of ideas proposed by researchers to change the peer review process. The suggestions are being sorted and reviewed, and the NIH expects to implement several pilot studies next year to evaluate their efficacy. Learn more about those suggestions, and weigh in with your own.
Your two cents could change the NIH(requires free registration to read) ScienceDebate2008
A grassroots initiative spearheaded by a large group of eminent scientists and science policy experts calls for a debate on science and technology among the 2008 presidential candidates. If you, like they, believe that science and technology should be a frontrunning issue in the upcoming election, and want to hear the candidates' positions, join the effort.
Learn more
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| Science and Health |
Bone density affected by birth control pills
Professors from Loyola Marymount and Oregon Health and Science Universities have published a study which links young women's usage of oral contraceptives to lower bone densities that could result in osteoporosis later in life.
Bone density and the Pill
When persistence is a bad thing
In our hard-driving, no-quitter-is-a-good-quitter world, biochemical evidence surfaces showing that knowing when to quit could save your life. The persistence required to reach those loftier goals might actually harm you.
Read on
More than a feeling
The holidays can be emotionally draining. Ever wonder if you should have just cried and been done with it? Whether it's feeling depressed, falling in love, getting irritated, or being grateful, most emotions have physiological effects. Here's a guide to what they are and what you can do about (some of) them.
Emotional intelligence
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| International |
An equation for success
Reykjavik University in Iceland is reaping rewards from its innovations: it equalized pay for men and women, placed women in high-ranking leadership positions, and is emphasizing interdisciplinary work and communication. The result is that 95 percent of its staff is happy in their jobs. Innovation up north
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| Careers |
Weathering the academic department storm
Is your department toxic? Is the long slog toward tenure made worse by those who seem to relish in torturing you? Do you have tormentors rather than mentors? This Chronicle of Higher Education column by "Ms. Mentor" addresses those who are weathering rough academic environments with tips for survival.
It's a jungle out there
Two issues still under attack
This op-ed from the Huffington Post compares the media's representation of and the public's attitudes toward global warming and feminism. With both issues emerging as important factors in the 2008 election, contributor Kim Mance finds important parallels in how their underlying ideologies have been marginalized.
Feminism and global warmingWomen and scientific achievement
This lengthy but thorough article reviews much of the current scientific literature on cognitive sex differences, and examines studies that have shown there is a bias against women in the sciences. Whatever your opinions on these issues, the article's authors present a large volume of information with which every woman in science should be familiar.
More fuel for the fire?Tech startups-paving the way for women
An innovative program at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County trains women in technological entrepreneurship and provides them opportunities to partner with research institutions in the area to create their own businesses. Since 2005, it has produced 12 startups.
Women and tech startups
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| National and Chapter Announcements |
San Diego AWIS Chapter
Date: January 10, 2008
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Charlie's By the Sea in Cardiff
Event: Winter Happy Hour
For more information and to registerBethesda AWIS Chapter
Date: January 17, 2008
Time: 4:30-6:00 pm
Location: Visitor Center, National Library of Medicine, NIH
Event: "Diving Boards and Mars Landers: Career Paths for the Adventurous" Speaker: Laurel Haak, Ph.D., Science Director,
Discovery Logic For more information |
|
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
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/
2008 NOAA Earnest Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship
Sophomore students majoring in
disciplines related to oceanic and atmospheric science, research,
technology, or education, and supportive of the purposes of NOAA's
programs and mission, e.g., biological, social and physical sciences;
mathematics; engineering; computer and information sciences; and teacher
education are encouraged to apply.
The two-year scholarship supplies up to $8,000 per year in tuition assistance and a paid summer internship.
Application deadline: February 8, 2008
For more information
2008 Grants for Women and Mathematics Projects
The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) plans to award grants for projects
designed to encourage college and university women or high school and
middle school girls to study mathematics. The Tensor Foundation,
working
through the MAA, is soliciting college, university and secondary
mathematics faculty (in conjunction with college or university faculty)
and their departments and institutions to submit proposals. Projects
may replicate existing successful projects, adapt components of such
projects, or be innovative.
Application deadline: February 12, 2008
For more information
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.
AAUW Career Development Grants Career
Development Grants support women who hold a bachelor's degree and are
preparing to advance their careers, change careers, or re-enter the
work force. Special consideration is given to AAUW members, women of
color, and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in
nontraditional fields. Grants provide support for course work
beyond a bachelor's degree, including a master's degree, second
bachelor's degree, or specialized training in technical or professional
fields. Funds are available for distance learning. Course work must be
taken at an accredited two- or four-year college or university, or at a
technical school that is fully licensed or accredited by an agency
recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Funds are not available
for doctoral-level work. For More on This Grant...
Outsourcing Preclinical Toxicology Studies Conference to be Held in Costa MesaThis
course is ideal for those in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
who are involved in or support outsourcing preclinical toxicology
studies. Toxicologists (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies),
Outsourcing professionals, Senior and operational management, Clinical
veterinarians, and CRO management and scientists should attend. Attendees
will learn how to evaluate their outsourcing needs and how to develop a
cost-effective strategy that will lead to a successful outsourcing
experience. Participants will also receive detailed instruction on how
to inspect, select, and build relationships with a CRO. For More Information on This Conference...
Protein Discovery & Development Summit Coming to DC in SeptemberOnline
submission for abstracts is now open for GTCbio's Protein Discovery
& Development Summit. This event will feature 4 full conferences
aimed at discussing the progress and promise of: Protein Design, Modeling and Bioinformatics Protein Array, Interaction, and Proteomics Protein Therapeutics Protein Expression, Formulation and Production The
protein therapeutics market has more than doubled in the last five
years- jumping from $25 billion to $51 billion. According to a recent
survey, the protein therapeutics market should reach $87 billion by
2010. Protein therapeutics have revolutionized modern medicine. If you
are involved in Protein Discovery or Development, we invite you to
submit a 250 word abstract. For More Information on This Conference...
Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in AthleticsThe
Ethnic Minority and Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for
Careers in Athletics programs were developed by the NCA Committee on
Women's Athletics and the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests
Committee. The NCAA awards 13 scholarships to ethnic minorities
and 13 scholarships to female college graduates who will be entering
their initial year of postgraduate studies. The applicant must be
seeking admission or have been accepted into a sports administration or
related program that will help the applicant obtain a career in
intercollegiate athletics, such as athletics administrator, coach,
athletic trainer or other career that provides a direct service to
intercollegiate athletics. For More Information On This Scholarship...
American Physiological Society Research Enhancement AwardThe
APS Research Career Enhancement Award is designed to enhance the career
potential of its regular members. The award can be used to support
short-term visits to other laboratories to acquire new specific skills
and to support attendance at special courses devoted primarily to
methodologies appropriate for both a new investigator and a more senior
investigator entering a new field of research. The award of up to
$4,000 allows an individual in the early phases of his/her career to
obtain special training; the award also allows an individual in the
later phases of his/her career to develop new skills and to retrain in
areas of developing interests. The award does not include any indirect
cost reimbursement. For More Information on This Award... |
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