Greetings!
Just a quick reminder about our Spring Career Teleseminar Series --
On May 7, join Peggy Wallace, active member of the AWIS San Diego chapter and founder of Making Conversation, LLC, for Networking Now - When Everyone is Looking: How To Be More Effective in the Current "Crowded" Marketplace (7 PM Eastern) and learn practical strategies and tools you can use right now.
Other upcoming Spring Tele-Seminars:
Effective Communication in a Four Generation Workplace, 5/14, 11 AM Eastern
Impression Management for Interviews, 5/21, Noon Eastern and 7 PM Eastern
Janet
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Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director |
| Education |
Broadening Participation in Graduate Education
A new report released by the Council on Graduate Schools highlights programs that have had success in enhancing diversity and inclusiveness in graduate education, and offers policy recommendations aimed at identifying and cultivating talent wherever it exists, with particular emphasis on developing domestic talent from traditionally underrepresented groups.
Participate |
| Government |
Remarks of President Barack Obama to the National Academy of Sciences
President Barack Obama's recent commitments to increased support for science and engineering are cause for celebration among AWIS members. A major focus in his speech was how to fix science education in the U.S. by recruiting more and better teachers, upgrading the curriculum, and attracting many more young people (yes- including women and minorities) to STEM fields. And it was not just pie-in-the sky. He spoke of the projected shortfall of more than 280,000 math and science teachers across the country by 2015, and announced plans to support states' efforts with a $5 billion "Race to the Top" program from the Department of Education. His budget triples the number of NSF graduate research fellowships. He proposed the creation of new pathways for experienced chemists, physicists and statisticians to go into the classroom and teach science and math.
Watch the Video
Cancer Research Grants Double Under Stimulus Package The newly approved stimulus package includes $1.3 billion for cancer research in 2009 and 2010, and the head of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) says that money will go a long way toward doubling the number of research grants that it approves. Speaking at 100th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Dr. John Niederhuber says that the NCI has been able to fund only 12 percent of the grant requests it gets. An expanded federal budget is boosting that to 16 percent and the stimulus injection will push approvals to 25 percent of all requests.
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| International |
IBRO Women in World Neuroscience Committee formally sets its goal
Women in World Neuroscience Committee (WWN), in affiliation with IBRO (International Brain Research Organization), announced its position statement April 17, 2009. A central goal of the committee is to explore opportunities in disadvantaged areas such as Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. This committee was formed in November 2008 with the mission to extend opportunities to and mentor women neuroscientists worldwide.
Position Statement |
| Careers |
Policy and Parental Leave
Parental leave at some institutions has the consequence of a potentially 10 percent loss of salary. The definition of leave isn't always really leave, either. While professors are relieved of one course during the semester immediately following the birth or adoption of a child it does not clear them of other duties such as writing or researching to keep up with departmental expectations. And, the debate rages on.
Time to Leave
Is Tenure a Trap for Women?
Choosing family over career or vice versa is a constant theme in academe these days. It becomes even more difficult as lifestyles of the modern professor change. Female leaders of higher education like Shirley M. Tilghman, first woman president of Princeton University, argue that the tenure system should be abolished. Is that good or bad for women?
Trapped
Career Advice for Academics
When trying to balance the dual responsibilities of teaching and research, many in academia may feel there isn't enough time to do either well. Additionally, for those on a tenure-track, teaching responsibilities may not carry as much weight with tenure committees as research obligations. To maximize the return on the time invested in teaching, professors are advised to define realistic expectations. By considering the variety in students' interests and crafting a teaching plan that works with, not against, that diversity, teaching can be a rewarding experience for both teacher and student.
Be All You Can Be
Men Advance Quicker Than Women
A 2006 study recently released by the Modern Language Association reveals that women in English and foreign language departments take an average of 1.6 years longer than men to earn a promotion from associate to full professorship (6.6 years for men, 8.2 years for women). This finding was consistent in both married and single female populations, with and without dependent children. The study found that men devote more time to research, while women devote more time to teaching responsibilities. The authors postulate that teaching and service obligations are less likely to be rewarded, and propose that "microdifferences" in how women and men spend time (professionally and personally) account for the disparity in recognition.
The Race Is On |
| Science and Health |
Fat
Molds the Memory
Researchers at
UC Irvine have made a groundbreaking discovery linking dietary fat intake to
long-term memory formation. The results
of recent studies show that oleic acids derived from high-fat foods are
converted into oleoylethanolamide (OEA) during digestion, and OEA signals
received by the brain indicate fullness.
The most recent finding suggests that OEA also promotes memory
consolidation and formation of long-term memories. OEA may prove to be a powerful new molecule
for understanding satiety and appetite control and may also be therapeutic for
individuals with memory loss.
Memory and Fat
Bleach
Breaks the Eczema Itch
Eczema is
chronic skin disorder associated with severe itchiness and afflicts nearly 1 in
5 school-aged children.
Eczema-associated itching often damages the skin and results in
bacterial skin infections that are hard to treat with topical or oral
antibiotics. Newly published results from a clinical study indicate eczema
symptoms can be dramatically reduced in children given very dilute bleach
baths. The researchers think that the
bleach bath treatment was effective at killing skin-resident bacteria. These results hold promise for the future of
effective eczema treatments.
Eczema Ousted with Bleach
Ovarian
Conservation and Longevity
New
findings from the Nurses' Health Study indicate improved longevity for women
who keep their ovaries following a hysterectomy. Historically, hysterectomies have included
the removal of both the uterus and ovaries and have resulted in a dramatically
reduced risk for breast and ovarian cancer. This study followed thousands of
women for more than two decades following their hysterectomies, and showed that
women who had their ovaries removed were more likely to develop heart disease
or die than women who kept their ovaries. These unexpected findings suggest
that physicians and patients should take into account the family history of
cancer and heart disease when considering ovary removal.
Hold the Ovaries
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| Lifestyle |
Women Often Charged More Than Men for Individual Health Insurance
According to a survey of health plans sold to individuals women can expect to pay up to 7 percent more than men. While law protects women from this discrimination through work place sponsored health plans, the unemployed or self-employed woman does not enjoy the same rights with an individually purchased health plan. These plans don't even include maternity coverage. The gap between the amount men and women pay individually decreases as people age. Check out the comparative chart for the top-selling health plans.
Pay Up |
| AWIS News and Events |
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AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: 2009 Women in Science and Technology
(WIST) Conference
The biennial AWIS conference formerly known as, "Women in bioScience," (WIB) is expanding its focus this year, encompassing topics relevant to all women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This one-day symposium includes two keynote speakers and a series of workshops, round-tables, and seminars focusing on career and personal development and hot topics in science.
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Time: 7:30am to 6:00pm
Location: The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Register: All are welcome and can register at: www.awis.sdsc.edu
Registration closes on May 6.
AWIS San Francisco
Event:
Join us as Nancy Padian shares stories from her professional career path. Nancy Padian, PhD, MPH, is a nationally and internationally recognized
leader in the epidemiology and prevention of sexually transmitted
infections including HIV. Her work bridges the gap between traditional
infectious disease epidemiology and the broader context of women's
reproductive health with a strong emphasis on gender and human rights.
All scientists, students, and friends are welcome.
Date: Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Location: Genentech Inc
Bldg 83 Rm 1A
611 Gateway Blvd
South San Francisco
Register: via ACTEVA by Monday, May 11th
Cost: $8.50 members, $17 non-members, $25 onsite registration. (A light supper will be provided)
Directions: http://www.gene.com Parking is Free
More Information: http://www.sfawis.com/
AWIS Bethesda Chapter
Event: Annual Networking Event
Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Time: TBD
Location: Cloisters (Bldg 60) on the NIH campus
More Information: www.awisbethesda.org
AWIS Philadelphia Chapter
Event: 2009 Annual Awards Dinner
Date: Monday, May 18, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM Check-In, Dinner (vegetarian option available)
7:00 PM Program
Location: Arcadia University, Grey Towers Castle
Mirror Room (Dinner) & Rose Room (Program)
450 S. Easton Road, Glenside, PA 19038
Directions: http://www.arcadia.edu/prospective/default.aspx?id=577
Cost: $28 for members
$32 for non-members/guests*
$18 for students and postdocs
RSVP: www.awisphl.org/meetingregistration.htm
By 12:00 noon, Thursday, May 14, 2009
This is a pay-in-advance event. On-line payments will be
acknowledged when you make your reservation. All reservations will also
receive an e-mail confirmation from AWIS-PHL within 72 hrs. If you do
not receive a confirmation, your reservation was NOT received, and you
should contact rsvp@awisphl.org (preferred), or call Ellie Cantor at 610-935-5455 (also for any questions about the reservation process).
Cancellations with refund permitted prior to noon, May 18, 2009. Cancellations received by 3 pm, Monday, May 18, 2009, will be credited to future meetings; no refunds or credit for no-shows.
*Nonmembers who join when making their reservation will be eligible for the member rate.
AWIS East Bay Chapter
Event: May Chapter Meeting:
FOCUS ON CAREERS FROM SCIENCE TO $ALE$
Date:
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Time:
6:30-8:30 PM
Location: Novartis** (Building 4, Room 104)
5300 Chiron Way, Emeryville, CA
Registration: http://ebawis.eventbrite.com/
Light supper [Please contribute $5 (members) / $10 (non-members) to cover cost of food.]
Join ebAWIS for a panel discussion featuring scientists using their science background in sales careers!
Goli Fahid has
8 years of experience in Bio tools sales & marketing and currently
holds a technical sales position with LICOR Biosciences. LI-COR
Biosciences is a leader in the design and manufacture of instrument
systems for biotechnology and environmental research. She is based in
East Bay and her territory includes Northern California, Washington and
Oregon. Her work has included, but is not limited to calling on
researchers and increasing LICOR's market share through seminars,
workshops and demonstrations. Goli has a B.S. in Genetics and a minor
in Computer Science from UC Davis.
Kevin Lindquist received
his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the State University of New York
at Buffalo where he studied fluid mechanics and protein surface binding
in biosensor devices. Following his graduate studies, he worked as a
research scientist and project leader at Alnis Biosciences, Inc. where
he synthesized and characterized novel nanoparticles for potential use
in targeted drug delivery applications. Following his work at Alnis
BioSciences, Kevin joined Biacore, Inc (Part of GE Healthcare) where he
has been working for the past 8 years. Currently, he is a Principal
Application Scientist in the San Francisco Bay Area where he works with
biosensor users in the field, instructs biosensor users at a variety of
Biacore training courses, and performs proof-of-concept biosensor
studies.
Michelle Alegria-Hartman
recently transitioned from a research position, as a Biomedical
Scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to VWR as a Life
Science Specialist in the sales/marketing group. She has worked on
numerous projects including several biodefense projects and the Human
Genome Project. Her research has spanned areas of molecular biology,
microbiology, genomics, and proteomics. Michelle received her Ph.D. in
Molecular Genetics from the University of California, Davis in 2002.
Sharon Squazzo
is a Biotechnology Specialist with Sigma Aldrich. This is a technical
sales position representing the life science technologies of Sigma
Aldrich at academic, biotech and pharmaceutical institutions in the Bay
Area Prior to joining Sigma Aldrich in 2007, Sharon worked for fifteen
years in molecular and cellular biology research at Harvard Medical
School, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, UC Santa Cruz and the UC Davis
Genome Center. Sharon has a B.S. in Microbiology from University of
Massachusetts, Amherst.
SCIENTISTS, NON-SCIENTISTS, MEN, WOMEN ARE ALL WELCOME!
Aerotek, a scientific staffing agency will be recruiting before the event. Three recruiters will be available so, don't forget to bring your resume!
** NOVARTIS security procedures require check-in at
the guard station on 53rd St. at Chiron Way prior to parking. We meet
in Building 4 (5300 Chiron Way), Room 104. Enter at the doors nearest
the big yellow stucco ball. Sign in with security at front desk.
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Opportunities |
New WEPAN Knowledge Center Is Up And Running!
wepanknowledgecenter.org
Bookmark This Link!
The days of searching all over the Web for information on women in engineering are over at last! Beginning today, easy access to more than 600 information resources is available at your fingertips.
Thanks to a generous grant from the National Science Foundation and our
corporate sponsors, WEPAN's new Knowledge Center is open for use.
To get started you can take a 4-minute video tour, accessed through the Welcome box on the home page. It's a quick overview of the center, its resources, and capabilities.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Invites Applications for Janelia Farm Research Campus
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus
is a world-class biomedical research center where outstanding
scientists from diverse disciplines use emerging and innovative
technologies to pursue biology's most challenging problems. The
program's research goals include the identification of general
principles guiding how information is processed by neuronal circuits,
in addition to the development of new imaging technologies and
computational methods for image data analysis.
HHMI is now accepting applications for lab heads at the Janelia Farm
Research Campus. Applications for lab heads are invited from
biologists, chemists, computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians,
neurobiologists, and physicists who are passionate in their pursuit of
important problems in basic scientific and technical research. JFRC lab
heads are independent scientists, with labs of up to two additional
members. Appointments are for a term of five years.
Applications are invited from individuals at all career stages, as well as coordinated applications from groups of individuals. There are two application deadlines per year and the next are: July 15 and December 15, 2009.
Visit the HHMI Web site for complete program guidelines.
http://www.hhmi.org/research/competitions/
M. Hildred Blewett Scholarship
The M. Hildred Blewett Scholarship for Women in Physics consists of an award of up to $45,000 to enable women to return to physics research careers after having had to interrupt those careers for family reasons.
Details at: www.aps.org
Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART)
Education ProgramThis education program provides scholarships and fellowships to students including an annual salary, full tuition, and other normal educational expenses. The purpose is to promote the education, recruitment and retention of undergraduate and graduate students in science, mathematics and engineering studies. The SMART Education Program is open only to citizens of the United States, and students must be at least 18 years of age to be eligible. There is an employment obligation to DoD with this education program.
For more information and application deadlines, please visit their website at http://www.asee.org/smart.
The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
This program is open to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents and offers a competitive stipend as well as insurance, relocation, and travel allowances. This program offers one to three year postdoctoral fellowships designed to increase the involvement of scientists and engineers from academia and industry to scientific and technical areas of interest and relevance to the Navy. This program has a rolling admission.
Go to: http://www.asee.org/resources/nrl/ for detailed program information.
The Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP) NREIP is a ten week summer research opportunity for undergraduate Juniors & Seniors, and Graduate students, under the guidance of a mentor, at a participating Navy Laboratory. The stipend amounts for the program are $5,500 for undergraduate students and $6,500 for graduate students. U.S. citizenship required; Permanent residents accepted at certain labs.
Go to: http://www.asee.org/nreip for application deadlines and detailed program information.
Humboldt Research Fellowship
The Humboldt Research Fellowship enables highly-qualified scientists and scholars of all nationalities and all disciplines to carry out research projects for extended periods of time in cooperation with academic hosts at research institutions in Germany. Fellowships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement, the quality and feasibility of the proposed research and the applicant's publications.
Fellowships for Postdoctoral Researchers are for postdoctoral scientists and scholars who have completed a doctoral degree within four years prior to the application submission date are eligible. This fellowship allows for a stay of 6-24 months in Germany and provides a monthly stipend of 2,250 EUR. Click here for application materials and detailed information.
Fellowships for Experienced Researchers are for scientists and scholars who have completed a doctoral degree within twelve years prior to the application submission date are eligible.
This fellowship allows for a stay of 6-18 months in Germany which may be divided into a maximum of three visits of at least three months each and provides a monthly stipend of 2,450 EUR. Click here for application materials and detailed information.
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AWIS BOARD MEMBER
SPOTLIGHT
Susanne Neuer
Councilor, AWIS Board
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AWIS is proud to recognize one of its very own board members as a recipient of a 2009 Outstanding Achievement and Contribution Award from Arizona State University's Commission on the Status of Women. The awardees are first nominated each year by their peers for achievements and contributions made toward improving the status of women.
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| NEW MENTORING RESOURCE |
 ALL NEW!
Getting the Most out of Your Mentoring Relationships: A Handbook for Women in STEM
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Provides a quick yet structured guide to mentoring
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Includes a handy resource guide for quick reference
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Is the most comprehensive handbook catered to women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
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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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