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Education |
States Strengthening STEM Ed to Address Economic
Challenges In an attempt to better prepare students for the economic
challenges of the future, states across the nation are investing in programs to
boost STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education in their
school systems. Find out what strategies
are being used to improve STEM education and what American parents are saying
about the current state of STEM education.
Bolstering STEM Education
Increasing Popularity of Associate's
Degrees In 2006, about 635,591 associate's degrees were awarded.
About 30% were in STEM fields, 62% were awarded to women, and 23% to under-represented
minorities.
Click here for the full report. |
Government |
OSTP Director Addresses Science Budget and Policy
Issues on the HillThe Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
appeared before the House Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations
Subcommittee recently to discuss key science budget and policy issues. Click here to read a summary of the comments
made by the Director and the committee's appropriators during the hearing.
Ensuring Science Debate Takes
Place In early January, AWIS became one of the first organizations
to sign on as a supporter of Sciencedebate 2008, which has issued a call for a
public debate in which the U.S.
presidential candidates share their views on the issues of The Environment,
Medicine and Health, and Science and Technology Policy. While the original date
(April 18, 2008) for the Science
Debate in Philadelphia with the
presidential candidates is looking less and less likely, organizers say the
debate can still take place in early May during Oregon's
primary. Click here to read about
how you can support Sciencedebate 2008.
Plan B
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Science and Health |
Navigating the Emotional Hazards of the Workplace Can expressing your emotions hurt or reward you? According to a recent study published in the
journal Psychological Science
the answer may depend on your gender.
The authors found that people, men and women alike, often accept and even
reward men who get angry but view women who lose their temper as less
competent.
Keeping Your Cool To access the full report: click here
Study Shows Stress Not Related to Hypertensive Disorders
of Pregnancy Stressing that stress can cause preeclampsia and gestational
hypertension during pregnancy? Stress no more, a new study published in the
journal BJOG, an International
Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found no relationship between a woman's
level of job stress, anxiety, anxiety related to pregnancy or depression and
her risk of developing these hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Less Stress |
International |
"Are there too many female medical graduates?" University of Edinburgh
Brian McKinstry says 'yes' and that this could
cause potential problems for future staffing. Read Dr. McKinstry's commentary
here: Yes. Jane Dacre from the University College London argues that
while UK
universities are indeed producing more female doctors than male, it is not the
issue we should be worrying about; rather, she believes that we should be focused
on ensuring equality of opportunity for women in academic medicine. Read Dr.
Dacre's commentary here: No.
Past Award Laureates Commit to Help Women in Science Earlier in March, nearly forty past L'OR�AL-UNESCO award
laureates reunited in Paris, France
to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the L'OR�AL-UNESCO awards, which are the
first international awards devoted to women scientists. The event was marked
with the signing of a special charter designed to promote science, support the
cause of women, and change the face of science in the world, the Charter of
Commitment "For Women in Science."
New Charter Launched by L'OR�AL-UNESCO
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Careers |
"Reflections on the Dearth of Women in Science" by Ben
Barres, MD, PhD In March, Professor Ben Barres (2007 AWIS Fellow) arrived at
Harvard University as an invited guest to give a personal and intellectual
analysis of the obstacles faced by women in academic science and what
individuals and institutions could do to increase opportunities in the sciences
for women. Professor Barres brought a unique perspective to the discussion:
Professor Barres is transgender, and has experienced life as both a female and
as a male scientist.
Click here to listen to the webcast of the
presentation.
Are You the Face of Pay-Equity? This year, April 22nd marks
Equal Pay Day and supporters of pay-equity across the nation are taking action
to show Congress that the persistent and sizable wage gap between men and women
will not be tolerated. Join in the "I am the Face of Pay Equity" campaign to show
your senators that pay-equity is still an issue and to urge them to move
forward legislation that will help close the pay-gap, including the Fair Pay
Restoration Act. (Two-Minute Activist)
To urge your senators to cosponsor the Fair Pay Restoration
Act, Take Action
To learn more about pay-equity, click here.
Three New Studies Show More People are in the S&E
Pipeline Three new reports from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
show that the supply of scientists
and engineers in the U.S.
has grown since 2003. Report 1: Unemployment rate of U.S.
scientists and engineers in 2006. Report 2: An overview of science, engineering, and health
graduates in 2006. Report 3: Postdoc participation of science, engineering,
and health doctorate recipients. (Note: the reports reflect the labor market as of 2006 and
are not representative of the current status of the S&E workforce. Experts also warn that the NSF data only show
the supply side of the story and do not reflect information about the future or
current demand for scientists and engineers).
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National and Chapter Announcements |
AWIS Seattle Chapter Event: " Bacterial production of hydrogen: an energy
source for the future?" by Carrie Harwood, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, University of Washington Date: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Location:
UW SouthLakeUnionBuilding, First Floor Auditorium, 815 Mercer Street Seattle, WA98109
AWIS Northwest Ohio Chapter Event: Public
Lecture by cancer researcher Dr. Zena Werb, part of the AWIS Northwest Ohio (NWO)
Chapter's Distinguished Women in Science Speaker Series Date: Thursday, April 17, 2008 Time: 6 p.m. Dr. Werb will present "Of Mice &
Women - New Insights into Breast Cancer." Then at 12 noon, "The Leaking Pipeline: Increasing the Career
Trajectories of Women in Science." There will be a reception to follow. Location: Doermann
Theatre, The University of Toledo,
2801 W. Bancroft Street, Toledo
OH 43606-3390 For further information, please contact Dr. Deborah Vestal
(419) 530-1581.
AWIS San Diego Chapter Event: 2008
Scholarship Gala featuring keynote speaker Dr. Naomi Oreskes, Professor of
History and Science Studies at UCSD Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008 Time: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Location: Coronado
Boathouse 1701 Strand Way Coronado,
CA 92118
For more information and to register: www.awissd.org Contact: [email protected]
AWIS Northern California Chapter Event: 2008 Award
Dinner. This is an annual event in which the Northern California Chapters
of AWIS gather together to recognize three distinguished women
scientists/mentors and several outstanding students. Several awards will
be presented including the 2008 Judith Pool Award to Marilyn Winkleby, the
2008 Ellen Weaver Award to Angela Barth, the 2008 Distinguished Professional
Award to Doris Davis, and Chapter Scholarships to students at local community
colleges. Date:Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Time:6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (6:30 to 7:00 Social time with wine and appetizers; 7:00 to 8:00 Plated dinner with choice of three
entr�es and delicious dessert; 8:00to 9:00
Awards program) Location:Doubletree Hotel, 835
Airport Boulevard, Burlingame, CA (Anza
Blvd. exit off Hwy 101). A shuttle will be
available from BART/Caltrain station).
Cost: $45
Register: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=155523
(There will be no onsite registration.)
Please indicate your choice of entr�e: rosemary chicken, grilled filet of sole
or vegetarian (grilled portabello mushroom), or a child's plate (chicken
tenders).
(Online credit card payment deadline is April 25,
2008. Mail-in payments are accepted until postmark April 23, 2008.) Check
payable to: NCC-AWIS Awards Banquet
Mail to: PA-AWIS, PO Box 2641,
South San Francisco, CA.
94083-2641.
All women scientists and their
colleagues, co-workers and friends are welcome.
AWIS Palo Alto Chapter Event: "Protein
Kinase C in Heart Attack: From Bench to Bedside" by Dr. Daria Mochly-Rosen,
Senior Associate Dean for Research, Stanford
University School
of Medicine Date: Thursday, May 8, 2008 Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Light super will be served) Location: PARC Auditorium, 3333
Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA RSVP: http://www.acteva.com/go/pa-awis Members pay $4 and non-members pay $7 to offset the
cost of food.
Have a chapter event you'd like to post? Please send
information/fliers to [email protected]
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Nominations Open: Anita Borg and Denice Denton Awards The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology has opened nominations for the Anita Borg and Denise Denton Awards, which honor individuals in three categories: Emerging Leader, Social Impact, and Technical Leadership. Nominees may be submitted by high-tech companies, universities, private industry, and the general public. One winner will be selected in each category.
- The Denice Denton Emerging Leader Award recognizes a junior (under 40), non-tenured faculty individual in an academic or research institution who is pursuing high quality research in engineering or physical sciences, while contributing significantly to promote diversity in his/her environment. The award winner will receive a $5,000 prize underwritten by Microsoft.
- The Anita Borg Social Impact Award will honor an individual or team who has caused technology to have a positive impact on the lives of women and society, or who has caused women to have a significant impact on the design and use of technology. The award recipient will receive a $10,000 prize underwritten by Microsoft.
- The Anita Borg Technical Leadership Award will recognize and celebrate an outstanding woman technical leader. Nominees are women who have inspired the women's technology community through outstanding technological and social contributions and, through their leadership, have increased the impact of women on technology. The award recipient will receive a $10,000 prize.
Nomination Deadline: April 30, 2008
Visit the website for more details: http://anitaborg.org/initiatives/awards.
MentorNet is Seeking Mentors! MentorNet, the E-Mentoring Network for Diversity in Engineering and Science, is seeking new mentors, particularly faculty e-mentors. At the present time, MentorNet has more than 100 proteges waiting for faculty mentors. Please encourage your faculty colleagues to sign up as a mentor. Being an e-mentor with MentorNet is convenient and can take as little time as 15 minutes per week! Since March 1st, AWIS has had 20 new proteges and 20 mentors join the program.
Call for Nominations: National Science Foundation Mentoring Awards The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (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.
Awards are made in the following two categories and nominees - both individual and institutional - must have served as a mentor or facilitated mentoring activities for at least five years.
- Individuals who have demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of underrepresented students at the K-12, undergraduate or graduate education level; and
- Institutions with program activities that have enabled a substantial number of students drawn from populations underrepresented in the sciences, technology, and engineering and mathematics fields, to pursue and complete relevant degree programs. At the post-secondary level, these efforts must show that students have completed a baccalaureate, masters or doctoral degree.
Awardees receive $10,000 to continue their work and a commemorative Presidential certificate. For more information: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2004/nsf04525/nsf04525.htm For assistance, contact David L. Temple at 703-292-4674; by email, [email protected]. Nomination deadline: April 22, 2008
ASBMB Science Policy Fellowship The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is currently accepting applications from recently graduated Ph.D.s for their Science Policy Fellowship. The Society will sponsor one fellow for a year (stipend of $40K plus benefits) to work in the Public Affairs office of their headquarters in Bethesda, MD. Fellows will have the opportunity to engage with Congressional staff as well as other advocacy organizations to learn how science policy issues are addressed in the federal government. Applications are due April 30, 2008 and details can be found at www.asbmb.org/publicaffairs or by contacting Peter Farnham [email protected].
Call for Nominations: National Science Foundation Teaching Awards Nominate exemplary K-12 teachers for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This year the award will honor elementary school teachers for their contributions to improve teaching and learning in the areas of science and mathematics (secondary teachers will be honored next year). For information about the online nomination and application, visit www.paemst.org or e-mail [email protected]. Application deadline: May 1, 2008.
2008 National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service announces the availability of grant funds and requests applications for the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program. NEW in 2008: CSREES and the USDA Forest Service (FS) have undertaken a collaborative, long-term effort focused on workforce development through graduate education (M.S. and Ph.D. level). Emphasis will be placed on the four critical capacity shortage areas (decision sciences; land use and landscape analysis; ecosystem processes and forest health; and utilization technology), identified by educators, employers, and the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP). Closing Date: May 8, 2008 Only electronic applications are acceptable: www.grants.gov
Soliciting applications for: (1) Fellowships to train students for Master of Science and doctoral degrees in food and agricultural sciences in the Targeted Expertise Shortage Areas (TESA), and (2) for Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances (IRTA) for eligible USDA National Needs Fellows. Postgraduate training will not be funded under this announcement. All attachments must be submitted in portable document format (.pdf) for proposals submitted under this program announcement.
Contacts: 1) Support (Electronic Application Process Issues) in Proposal Services Unit: CSREES - 202- 401- 5048 or [email protected] 2) Program Office (Programmatic Technical Issues) in National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants Program - CSREES - 202-720-1973 or [email protected]. See: Program Brochure, RFA, more information about the NNF Program, agency website, other CSREES Funding Opportunities
Joan's Legacy Research Grant Joan's Legacy invites grant applications for institutional research that studies lung cancer. The Foundation is particularly interested in the genetic basis and biology of bronchioalveolar carcinoma as well as novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of this disease. For more information, click here. Application Deadline: Thursday, May 15, 2008
Society for Neuroscience Awards Career Development Award - This achievement award is for early career professionals who demonstrate achievement and promise in fields within the purview and interest of SfN. Application Deadline: May 12, 2008 Click here for more information. Louise Hanson Marshall Special Recognition Award-This award recognizes individuals working outside the field of neuroscience who have significantly promoted the professional advancement of women in neuroscience. Application Deadline: May 12, 2008 Click here for more information.
Summer School on GPUs and Multicore for S&E Grad Students The Great Lake Consortium for Petascale Computation's Virtual School of Computational Science and Engineering is pleased to announce its first annual Summer School, Accelerators for Science and Engineering Applications: GPUs and Multicore to be held at NCSA August 18-22, 2008 Applications deadline: May 19,2008 Visit the website for more info.
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Featured AWIS Member
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Dr. Mina J. Bissell, Distinguished Scientist at the Life
Sciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and current AWIS
member, was recently awarded the 2008 Medal of Honor in Basic Research from the
American Cancer Society (ACS), the highest honor bestowed by the Society, and
the 2008 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Excellence in Science Award.
Dr. Bissell was recognized for her outstanding contributions to cancer
research. Biography Mina J. Bissell Award ACS Medal of Honor FASEB Excellence in Science
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AWIS Advocacy |
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AWIS Contributes to Diversity & Innovation Caucus BriefingOn
February 28, 2008, the U.S. House Diversity and Innovation Caucus held a stakeholders'
listening meeting with over 80 women,
minority, and STEM stakeholder groups to discuss diversity in the STEM fields. Click here to read AWIS' statement
on diversity. Resources on Affirmative ActionAWIS has compiled an index of resources for general information
on affirmative action and how it applies to women in science. Click here
to view the list. AWIS Position StatementsClick here to view our most recent position statements and advocacy documents.
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Pfizer is a Proud Corporate Sponsor of the Association for Women in Science
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Visit Our Sponsor
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