| Dear Colleague,
We are now in the final stages of gathering names for qualified women to be appointed to high level STEM positions in the next Federal Administration. If you would like to join this effort - as a member of AWIS, or, in collaboration with another STEM organization of which you are a member - please click here for an outline of the information we'll need about your nominee. Remember the qualifications we are looking for:
- a formal background in a STEM discipline
- policy and management skills, and experience at high levels
- the capacity to use information and advice from the nation's scientific and engineering community
- the ability to design and operate research programs that contribute to the evolution of the new science and technology that can advance our country's scientific and economic interests
- an interest in serving the interests of the public in widely diverse areas such as energy, the environment, health care, national security
Don't let it be said that there are NO women qualified to be leaders of our country's STEM efforts! Please send your nominations to me directly at awis@awis.org.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Betsy
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Dr. Betsy Kean, Chair
AWIS Awards and Equity Committee |
| Education |
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Career Transitions Among Elite Examined
Two economists recently published a paper outlining work/life differences between male and female Harvard graduates from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s (MD, JD, PhD, MBA). While the median age for first marriage rose , the percentage of women without children remained constant at about 38%. The study focused on the impact of children on careers of Harvard women. Among those with a PhD, over 90% of women without children but less than 60% of those with at least 2 children were working full time 15 years post-graduation, and the briefest non-employment spells for women after childbirth were among physicians. Most dramatic was the gender gap in earnings. Among full-time, full-year workers, median earnings were $112.5k for women and $187.5k for men.
"Gender Differences in Careers, Education, and Games"
Re-thinking the Traditional Academic Career LadderThe dearth of junior leadership coming into the pipeline will have a direct impact on future leadership of academic institutions is examined in a new issue brief by the American Council on Education. For example, women aged 45 or younger working in permanent positions make up only five percent of faculty at four-year institutions, and six percent of faculty at community colleges. Likewise, people of color aged 45 or younger working in permanent positions make up only four percent of faculty at four-year institutions and six percent of community college faculty. "Too Many Rungs on the Ladder?" |
| Government |
NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni M.D. to Step Down
Dr. Zerhouni has announced that he will be ending his tenure as the Director of the National Institutes of Health at the end of October 2008 to "explore other professional opportunities."
NIH press release
New NIH Advocacy Clearinghouse Website Gos Live
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has launched a new website as a resource for the biomedical research advocacy community.
Advocacy 101 |
| International |
A World Full of Beautiful PeopleIt seems beauty is in the eye of the beholder. According to a recent global survey on beauty, two thirds of all people say that beauty is primarily about non-physical attributes, yet as many as 40% would change their looks if they could. South Africans and Indians were most likely to think of themselves as beautiful whereas Americans had the poorest self-image although along with Bulgarians, they spent the most time in front of a mirror. Mirror, mirror on the wall... |
| Careers |
It Pays to be a Sexist
A new study has found that traditional gender role orientation continues to impact wages negatively for women. Men with traditional attitudes about gender roles earned $11,930 more a year than men with egalitarian views and $14,404 more than women with traditional attitudes. The comparisons were based on men and women working in the same kinds of jobs with the same levels of education and putting in the same number of hours per week. The study is significant in that it contests a popular notion of the gender-gap theory which suggests that wage disparity is the result of career choices that men and women make or the different hours that men and women work. Gender, gender orientation and earnings
Opting Out of Academe
Science Magazine recently traced the 2008 employment of 11 women and 12 men who had enrolled in Yale's elite Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry PhD program in 1991. Although they started graduate study expecting to end up as tenured faculty, almost two-thirds of both men and women are currently working in the corporate sector. Among those who landed in academia, the men were more likely to have jobs in medical schools while the women were in non-medical universities, and among those working in industry the men were more likely to have supervisory positions than the women. Where are they now? |
Science and Health
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Women rule!
A new Pew Research survey finds that women are the key decision-makers in the typical American home. Questions centered on four areas of domestic life. Who manages the household budget? Who makes the weekend plans? Who decides on big ticket items? And, who holds the remote? Of the 1,260 couples surveyed, 43% reported that the women make more of the decisions at home. The survey also polled households regarding gender roles in a variety of traditional professions including elementary school teachers and police officers.
Look who's in charge
Look Good, Feel Good
According to a new survey by the not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), the nation's leading source for women's health information, women who are dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance are significantly less likely to be up to date with preventive screenings, such as mammography and breast self-exam. Women were also asked about their greatest health concerns and their attitudes about surviving a diagnosis of breast cancer. Fifty-one percent of respondents identified breast cancer as the top health concern about which they worry versus those who worry about heart attack (48%), diabetes (42%) and lung cancer (31%). National Women's Health Resource Center's breast cancer study
American Kids Three Times More Likely to Use AntidepressantsA new international population based study of more than 6,000 children in the US, Germany and the Netherlands found that the prevalence of psychotropic drugs was significantly higher among American children ages 0-19 years than in other Western European countries. Researchers suggest country policies and practices underlie the differences. "A three country comparison of psychotropic medication prevalence in youth." |
| Chapter News and Events |
AWIS Bethesda & DC Chapters
Event: Panel Discussion
Motherhood, the Elephant in the Laboratory
Date: October 21, 2008
Time: 5:00 pm Reception
6:00 pm Discussion
Location: AAAS Headquarters, 2nd Floor
1200 New York Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20005
For more information visit: http://www.awisdc.org/
AWIS East Bay Chapter |
Event: Personal Communication Styles Workshop
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2008
Time: 9:00 AM - 12Noon,
Continental Breakfast Will Be Served
Location: Novartis Inc. 4560 Horton St, Emeryville, CA
Cost: AWIS Members: $20.00
AWIS Philadelphia Chapter
Event: Expand Your Horizons (ACS-WCC and AWIS-PHL)
This hands-on science experience for 6th grade girls is continuing to be held in the fall and the spring at Chestnut Hill College and visits to schools are also being planned for this school year.
Date: October 18, 2008
Location: Chestnut Hill College and visits to local schools
Registration materials are posted at http://www.awisphl.org
AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: AWIS San Diego annual Open House:
Come learn about AWIS San Diego events, activities and committees, and help celebrate our most active and dedicated volunteers through the AWIS Awards. All are welcome.
Date: Thursday October 16, 2008
Time: 5:30 -7:30pm
Location: Biogen Idec, 5200 Research Place, San Diego, CA 92122 For more information about the San Diego chapter and to register for this event please visit www.awissd.org
AWIS Seattle Chapter
Event: Washington Toxics Coalition's Pollution in People
Date: November 12, 2008
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Location:
First Floor Auditorium
UW South Lake Union Building
815 Mercer St, Seattle, WA |
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Opportunities |
Do You Know of a Successful Career Education Program?
The Programs and Practices That Work: Preparing Students for Nontraditional Careers project aims to recognize local and state educational agencies or schools across the country that have implemented effective programs and practices for improving student access to and success in pursuing training for careers that are nontraditional for their gender. NWLC is inviting applications from programs and schools across the country that have implemented programs and practices "that work." Applications are due Oct. 31, 2008.
Get more information and download an application. ACS Award in Pure Chemistry
To recognize and encourage fundamental research in pure chemistry carried out in North America by young men and women. Nature: The award consists of $5,000 and a certificate. Up to $1,000 for travel expenses to the meeting at which the award will be presented will be reimbursed. Establishment and Support: The award was established in 1931 by A. C. Langmuir and was supported by A.C. and Irving Langmuir through 1937. In 1938, James Kendall financed the prize. No award was made in 1939. In 1940, Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity assumed the financial obligation and has continued its support. Rules of Eligibility: A nominee must have been born after April 30, 1973 and must have accomplished research of unusual merit for an individual on the threshold of her or his career. Special consideration is given to independence of thought and originality in the research, which must have been carried out in North America.
NIH is accepting applications for its extramural Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs). The LRPs repay up to $35,000 of educational loan debt annually for individuals who commit to conducting at least two years of qualified biomedical or behavioral research at a nonprofit institution of their choice.
Deadline for applications is December 1, 2008
For more information and to apply visit: http://www.lrp.nih.gov/
AIMBE's Women in Medical and Biological Engineering Committee Presents:
"It's Your Responsibility! How to Lead and Impact Policy:
Enhancing the Role of Women in Medical and Biological Engineering"
Chicago Airport Hilton
December 4-5, 2008
Women in science, technology, engineering and math have made great strides over the past 35 years, and in biomedical-related disciplines they have essentially reached parity with men entering the workforce. However, the proportion of women in senior, highly visible positions in both academia and the corporate sector has not kept pace with the proportion of women receiving biomedical degrees.
AWIS President, Phoebe Leboy, will make participate as part of a wider discussion, hosted by AIMBE's WIMBE Committee, of how to positively influence change for women in medical and biological engineering. The Symposium is open to all AIMBE Fellows as well as to senior women and a limited number of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in medical and biological engineering.
For more information about the meeting and student registration, please visit our website at www.aimbe.org/womensymposiumwww.aimbe.org/womensymposium. You can also contact the AIMBE office at (202) 496-9660 or tjohnson@aimbe.org.
AIMBE has a block of rooms at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport. To make a reservation, please call 877-865-5322 and mention code AIB or go online at http://www.hilton.com and use code AIB in the group/convention box. The cutoff date for reservation is November 21, 2008.
The National Medal of Science
Help celebrate the contributions of your colleagues by submitting a nomination for The National Medal of Science. The National Medal of Science was established 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." In 1980 Congress expanded this recognition to include the social and behavioral sciences. The National Medal of Science is the highest honor the President bestows on scientists. A Committee of 12 scientists and engineers is appointed by the President to evaluate the nominees for the Award. Since its establishment, the National Medal of Science has been awarded to 441 distinguished scientists and engineers whose careers spanned decades of research and development.
Deadline: December 5, 2008
For more information or To nominate someone
Alan T. Waterman Award for Young Researchers
The National Science Foundation is pleased to accept nominations for the 2009 Alan T. Waterman Award. Each year, the Foundation bestows the Waterman Award to recognize the talent, creativity and influence of a singular young researcher. Established in 1975 in honor of the Foundation's first Director, the Waterman Award is the Foundation's highest honor for researchers under the age of 35.
Nominees are accepted from any field of science or engineering that NSF supports. The award recipient will receive a medal and an invitation to the formal awards ceremony in Washington, DC. In addition, the recipient will receive a grant of $500,000 over a three-year period for scientific research or advanced study in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation, at any institution of the recipient's choice.
For detailed nomination information and criteria, please visit https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/honawardsComplete nomination packages, consisting of nominations and four letters of reference, are due by December 5, 2008. The nominations and letters must be received through the FastLane system. Please contact the Program Manager for the Alan T. Waterman Award at waterman@nsf.gov or 703-292-8040 if you have any questions. You may also visit http://www.nsf.gov/od/waterman/waterman.jsp for more information.
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AWIS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Sharon Long, PhD |
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Sharon Long, the William C. Steere, Jr.-Pfizer Inc. Professor in Biological Sciences at Stanford University, has been appointed one of five science advisors for the Obama Campaign.
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Support AWIS
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Help other women in science! Donate to AWIS for its programs and/or to the Educational Foundation for its fellowships.
Your tax-deductible donation to AWIS supports the wide-ranging advocacy
and career development activities of the National Office and the
Executive Board.
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Learn more
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| What Works Workshop -
Your Career Enhancement Conference |
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* Have you got Purple Monkey Syndrome (the guilt that makes you say yes to a project when you really want to say no)? * Are you wondering what really goes on when a tenure committee makes a selection? * Have you tried to manage your workload to find balance and prevent burnout? Join your peers for a day-long learning experience and you'll find the answer to this and many other issues which can help you manage your work and your life! Our career enhancement conference will take place: 7:30am to 5:30pm Saturday, October 11, 2008 Eli Lilly Headquarters Indianapolis For more information visit www.awis.org/whatworksworkshop. Register by October 1st and receive a $20 discounted! | |
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