Greetings!
Take another look!
We are excited to announce the launch of our new website! Please go to www.awis.org and check out our new look.
The new system is currently being beta tested and we would really appreciate your feedback, e.g. Is it easy to update your membership information? Is it easy to find local chapter information? Did you find the information you were looking for?
We really want the new website to be a resource for you so thanks for taking a moment to help us get it right. Just send me an e-mail at koster@awis.org.
Best regards,
Janet
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Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director |
| Education |
AFT Releases New Report on Academic Workforce
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT)released "American Academic: The State of the Higher Education Workforce 1997-2007," a ten year study tracking the gap in numbers of contingent faculty compared to tenured or tenure-track faculty in higher education. The proportion of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members at public comprehensive universities dropped by nearly 13 percent over 10 years while the number of non-instructional staff grew by 24 percent. The most significant growth was in the category of professional staff, which increased by 50 percent.
AFT report
Top PhD Programs Shrinking
Institutions such as Emory and Columbia are scaling back slots in some of the most sought-after PhD programs in the country. Some universities are cutting their PhD programs up to 6.4% overall. With withering endowments, institutions are looking to cut budgets. To the extent that doctoral students are supported by tuition waivers and fellowships, they cost institutions money, in contrast to undergraduates and master's-level students.
The squeeze |
| Government |
New Jobs for Scientists at State Department
On May 5, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved legislation that would establish science envoys "to promote the advancement of science and technology throughout the world." The bill also allows the Secretary of State to establish or expand existing programs to increase the number of educational and cultural exchange activities involving the science, medicine, research, and academic sectors.
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| International |
GAO Reports on International Students
After decades of growth in international student enrollment in higher education, the total number of international students studying in the United States dropped between 2002 and 2006, the first decline in over 30 years. A new report released by the GAO notes that in addition to diplomacy, international students fill critical skill gaps in science, math, engineering, and technology fields. And, they also contributed $15.5 billion to U.S. economy in 2007-2008.
Wanted:international students
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| Careers |
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Applied to Tenure Case
A Mississippi US District Judge applied the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 to a Jackson State University tenure discrimination case, the first known application of the Act in Mississippi. Though the judge has dismissed several of the suit's claims, the application of Ledbetter prevents the case from being dismissed due to previously legal restrictions on reporting alleged discrimination within 180 days of the first act of discrimination. According to the Clarion Ledger, the lawsuit, filed in 2007, alleges that Dr. LaVerne Gentry was taken off tenure track after speaking out about being denied a salary increase. The suit alleges gender discrimination in denying tenure, in part because male professors at the university who also were not published had received tenure and promotions.
It's working!
Mixed-Gender Teams Promote Innovation
The economic crisis has prompted many experts to speculate on the gender balance in management and consider whether having more women managers would have lessened the risks many troubled businesses took. According to research from London Business School, an equal male/female split in a management team is best for promoting innovation in teams. "Would greater gender balance in decision-making have produced a different outcome? Probably," said Alice Eagly, Professor and Chair of Pyschology at Northwestern University.
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| Science and Health |
Conscientious Mates Benefit Health
Perhaps it is common sense, but a new study confirms that having a conscientious mate is good for your health. This study, published recently in "Psychological Science," observed that the "compensatory conscientiousness effect" promoted health in both men and women. It suggested that conscientious people have better impulse control and health habits, and they tend to be more responsible and organized. Unexpectedly, women received an additional health benefit when their male mate was both conscientious and neurotic, although the opposite was not true for males. This study reaffirms the overall benefits to individuals with conscientious people.
Conscientious companions
An Ear for Estrogen
Estrogen has been known to influence numerous body systems, and now researchers at the University of Rochester have linked estrogen to auditory function. They discovered that neural clusters in the brain involved in auditory processing were more sensitive to sound with increasing estrogen concentrations. Similarly, sound processing in the brain was almost blocked completely by inhibition of estrogen. Surprisingly, the presence of estrogen was also involved in turning on genes required for sound memory formation. These results provide new evidence that males and females may have different sensitivities to sound.
Estrogen and sound
Pacifiers without Fear
A new study in The Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine allays fears that pacifiers interfere with breast-feeding. Researchers analyzed 29 studies from various countries that investigated breast-feeding and pacifiers, and saw no evidence that pacifiers interfered with breast-feeding. Earlier studies have also shown that pacifier use also reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. These findings may give some comfort to new parents about the use of pacifiers.
No harm from pacifiers
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| Lifestyle |
Survey Shows Two-Thirds of Americans Can't Name a Woman Scientist
A new national survey commissioned by L'Oreal USA shows that Americans are generally unaware of the contributions of women to science. According to the survey Women, Science and Success: The New Face of Innovation, 65 percent of American adults cannot name a single famous female scientist. Read more of the results from this telephone survey in the prnewswire press release.
Read about women in science
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| AWIS News and Events |
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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 Chicago Chapter
Event: 3rd Annual AWIS Innovator Award Dinner:Capturing Life at the Interface
Honoring Dr. Tijana Rajh, Center of Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratories
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Location: Scoozi
410 W. Huron
Chicago, IL
Cost: $20 for the first 10 Northwestern Graduate Students
$25 for AWIS members, $35 for Non-members
Register: http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?binid=1&bevaID=182645
Registration includes dinner and non-alcoholic beverages
Dinner menu: Salad, butternut squash ravioli, chicken parmesan, tiramisu
Support for NU students generously
provided by the Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern University
Integrated Graduate Program
For more information about the Association for Women in Science Chicago Chapter visit: www.awis-chicago.org
AWIS Central Jersey Chapter
Event: Professional Development Seminar: Exploring Career Coaching With Susan Morris, M. Ed. CPCC, ACC www.morrisconsulting.biz
Date: Wednesday May 20, 2009
Time: Reception and Networking begins at 6:00
Program 6:30-7:30
Location: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Dean's Conference Room (Rm-123)
675 Hoes Lane West, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Directions: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/awis-cjc/
RSVP: secretary@rubiotech.org
Being a brilliant scientist does not always guarantee career success.
On May 20, 2009 AWIS-CJC and RUBiotech will present Keynote speaker
Susan Morris, M.Ed. CPCC, ACC, President of Morris Consulting Group,
LLC.
As an instructional designer, consultant and coach,
Ms. Morris provides expert guidance for scientists as they work to gain
a seat at the top of their organizations. Ms. Morris is an
internationally certified career and business coach, one of the five
national AWIS coaches, and is an accomplished national speaker on
career advancement.
In this seminar, she will conduct an interactive discussion defining
career coaching, offering examples of how career coaching can improve
career success and teaching a powerful career coaching skill
participants will apply in a paired exercise.
AWIS Palo Alto Chapter
Event: From Worms to Humans: Genes that Control the
Rate of Aging
Speaker: Dr. Cynthia Kenyon
http://kenyonlab.ucsf.edu/
Aging was once thought to be a completely haphazard process; we wear out, like old shoes. Now we know that there are actually genes that control the rate of aging. These genes were first discovered in the small roundworm C. elegans, but the same genes are now known to affect lifespan in higher animals, even humans. Changing these genes in roundworms can double the lifespan of the animal, and making several changes at once can extend lifespan by six-fold. In this lecture, Dr. Kenyon will discuss the nature of these genes, explain how we think they can influence the rate of aging, and discuss prospects for using this information to increase our own health and longevity.
Cynthia Kenyon received her PhD from MIT in 1981, and then studied with Nobel laureate Sydney Brenner in Cambridge, England. Since 1986, she has been at the University of California, San Francisco, where she is now an American Cancer Society Professor. In 1993, Dr. Kenyon's discovery that a single mutation could double the lifespan of C. elegans sparked an intensive study of the molecular biology of aging. Dr. Kenyon has received many awards for her findings. She is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine and she is a past-president of the Genetics Society of America
Date: Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
Time: 7:00-7:30 pm Networking and light supper
7:30-7:45 pm Announcements
7:45-8:45 pm Program
8:45-9:00 pm Discussion
Location: PARC Auditorium
3333 Coyote Hill Road
Palo Alto, CA
RSVP: http://www.acteva.com/go/pa-awis
Cost: $4/members; $7/non-members
Welcome!! You don't need to be a member to attend. All scientists, students, and their friends are welcome. Men too!
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 |
Call for Nominations: 8th Annual Janet L Norwood Award For Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Statistical Sciences
The Section on Statistical Genetics and the Department of Biostatistics
in the School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham
(UAB) are pleased to request nominations for the Eighth Annual Janet L.
Norwood Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Statistical
Sciences. The award will be conferred on Wed 9/16/2009. The award
recipient will be invited to deliver a lecture at the UAB award
ceremony, and will receive all expenses paid to deliver this lecture, a
plaque, and a $5,000 prize.
Eligible individuals are women who have completed their terminal
degree, have made outstanding contributions to the statistical
sciences, and, if selected, are willing to deliver a lecture at the
award ceremony. For additional details about the award, please feel
invited to visit our website at
http://www.soph.uab.edu/ssg/norwoodaward/aboutaward.
To nominate a candidate, send a full curriculum vitae accompanied
by a letter of not more than two pages in length describing the nature
of the candidate's contributions. Contributions may be in the area of
development and evaluation of statistical methods, teaching of
statistics, application of statistics, or any other activity that can
arguably be said to have advanced the field of statistical science.
Self-nominations are acceptable.
Please send nominations to:
David B. Allison, Ph.D.
Professor & Head Section on Statistical Genetics
Department of Biostatistics, RPHB 327 University of Alabama at Birmingham
1665 University Boulevard
Birmingham, Alabama 35294-0022
Phone: (205) 975-9169
Fax: (205) 975-2541
Email: dallison@uab.edu
Deadline for receipt of nominations is Mon 6/29/2009. Electronic
submissions of nominations are accepted and encouraged. The winner will
be announced by Fri 7/3/2009.
Town Hall Meeting for the ADVANCE Program at JAM09
Event: Town Hall Meeting: Inside the Double
Bind with keynote speaker
is Dr. Cheryl Leggon of Georgia Tech
Date: Monday, June 8, 2009
Time: 1:00PM to 4:00PM.
Registration: Free for sessions only (no
meals). The link for online registration is:
The Biology Scholars Program (BSP)
https://calshare.berkeley.edu/sites/bsp/Pages/Welcome.aspx
BSP at U.C.Berkeley is a 16-year old science diversity program with the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented students graduating with degrees in the biological sciences and pursuing careers in biological science. Funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, BSP graduates its majority first generation/low income and/or underrepresented students with the same mean GPA's as their majority counterparts in Biological science majors. Currently, BSP is conducting an experiment entitled the "Pre-Graduate Pathway" - an intensive pre-research career pathway which provides all of BSP's advising and academic support services along with access to
research internships, information on research careers and specialized advising for the graduate school application process.
We are looking for a graduate/postdoctoral student intern to help us analyze the efficacy of the Pre-Graduate Pathway, organize a Science Education Symposium and develop an innovative research proposal studying the effectiveness of undergraduate research experiences for an upcoming grant renewal. This intern will work closely with the Pre-Graduate Pathway Coordinator and the Director of the Biology Scholars Program, as well as have the opportunity to work with students in BSP. This is an outstanding opportunity for young scientists pursuing a career in science education, OR young scientists who want to develop programs for
undergraduate researchers.
This is a 50% FTE position (20hrs/week) at a $14-16/hr salary depending on experience. This position is funded until May 2010.
Interested students or postdocs can send their resume and cover letter directly to amyrick@berkeley.edu, preferably by June 1.
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Association of Women in Sciences
East Bay Chapter
http://ebawis.org
We are looking for EbAWIS members who are interested in serving in these positions:
Volunteer Coordinators
Outreach Coordinators
Newsletter Coordinators
Social Events Chair
AAAS now seeking nominations for the 2009 AAAS Mentor Awards
All nominations are due by Friday, July 31st, 2009.
The two categories of the AAAS Mentor Awards, the Lifetime Mentor Award and the Mentor Award, both honor individuals who during their careers demonstrate extraordinary leadership to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in the science and engineering PhD workforce. These groups include: women of all racial or ethnic groups; African American, Native American, and Hispanic men; and people with disabilities.
The recipient of the 2008 AAAS Mentor Award is Sylvia T. Bozeman, Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Center for Scientific Applications of Mathematics (CSAM) at Spelman College. Dr. Bozeman has been honored for helping to increase the number of African American women with PhDs in mathematics. Since 1985, a total of approximately 20 Spelman mathematics graduates have received doctoral degrees in mathematics and mathematics education and about half of those students chose to go to graduate school as a result of Sylvia's encouragement and mentorship. In addition, she co-founded the Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) Program, a joint Spelman and Bryn Mawr College program, which is designed to improve retention rates in mathematics graduate programs. Between 1998 and 2005, 14 of the EDGE participants have earned PhDs, including 5 who are African American. Bozeman has help to change the culture of the mathematics department at Spelman and has contributed to increasing the number of women with doctoral degrees in mathematics. To learn more about Dr. Bozeman, please visit our website: http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/awards/mentor/mentor2008.shtml
The recipient of the 2008 AAAS Lifetime Mentor Award is Percy A. Pierre, Vice President Emeritus & Emeritus Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering for the 2008 Lifetime Mentor Award. Dr. Pierre has been honored for his life long work in helping to create national programs that led to increased productions of minority engineering PhDs, including the National Action Council for Minority Engineers (NACME) and the doctoral in engineering program at Howard University. In 1998, as Professor of Engineering at Michigan State University, he started the Sloan Engineering Program to support the recruitment and retention of minority doctoral students. Through this program alone, he has mentored 27 African American and Hispanic American doctoral graduates in engineering. To learn more about Dr. Pierre, please visit: http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/awards/mentor/lifetime2008.shtml
For more information on these awards please visit the website at: http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/awards/mentor/index.shtml.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jessica Kunkler at jkunkler@aaas.org or by phone at (202) 326-6671.
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/
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 FELLOW
SPOTLIGHT
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Dr. Sue Rosser has been appointed Provost at San Francisco State University affective August 2009.
Read more about Dr. Rosser's new appointment>>>
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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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