Greetings!
The AWIS Board of Directors met in Alexandria, VA in mid-June. Highlights included approval of next year's projected $800,000 budget (which includes almost $400,000 for running the NSF annual meeting for ADVANCE PIs), and a sigh of relief that the FY 2009 budget will show no deficit in spite of a economy-driven decline in anticipated revenue.
The AWIS Board, accepting a recommendation from the Educational Foundation Board of Directors, voted to dissolve the AWIS Educational Foundation as a separate non-profit organization and bring its operations in-house. A newly-formed Student Awards Committee will be responsible for carrying on the Ed Foundation's awards program, and the Foundation's accumulated funds will be placed in an account restricted for this purpose.
The Board also started planning for its triennial AWIS Strategic Planning meeting to be hosted, in November, by the Tallahassee Chapter. Deciding that the 2007-10 Strategic Plan was still on target, the Board decided to develop a companion "Action Plan" at the fall meeting. One issue likely to be featured in the new plan will be "work-life balance." If you would like to weigh-in on strategic planning, send us an e-mail at awis@awis.org.
Sincerely,
Dr. Phoebe Leboy
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AWIS President
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| Education |
Best Practices for Undergraduate Research
A new book published by the Council on Undergraduate Research, "Broadening Participation in Undergraduate Research: Fostering Excellence and Enhancing the Impact," promotes the engagement of underrepresented ethnic and racial minorities, students with disabilities, women, students of lower socioeconomic status, first- and second-year students, and others not traditionally involved in the development of new knowledge as a proven high-impact practice that has a positive effect on student success. The book includes strategies for designing and implementing sustainable undergraduate research programs on diverse campuses. For more information and to order the book, visit the CUR Web pageThe Opportunity Equation-Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy
The Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Institute for Advanced Study released the "Opportunity Equation," a new report calling for the U.S. to "mobilize for excellence" in math and science education. It calls for coordinated action to establish common standards for the nation in mathematics and science-standards that are fewer, clearer, and higher-along with high-quality assessments among other recommendations. Read the report |
| Government |
AWIS Joins in White House Celebration of Title IX
AWIS Executive Director, Janet Bandows Koster, participated in a White House roundtable marking the 37th anniversary of Title IX on June 23. At the roundtable, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett, discussed the key role of Title IX, which bans discrimination based on gender in education programs that receive federal funding, in ensuring fairness and access for women in higher education. In his presentation, Mr. Duncan announced $2.4-million in grants to 13 groups that help high-school girls improve their proficiency in mathematics and science.
Who's getting the money |
| Careers |
Diversity Dilemma: Why African American Civil Engineering Candidates Are Hard to Find and How Civil Engineering Companies Can Help Fix It
In 2007, only 425 of 9,875 graduating civil engineers in the country were African American. A significant factor that may be causing the disproportionate representation of minorities in civil engineering to their representation in the national population is a failure of the educational system to produce enough "engineering eligible" students, notes a recent report by the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST).
Concrete solutions
More Women Breaking the Biotech Glass Ceiling
Massachusetts has seen a sudden surge of women in the boardroom with three new female chiefs appointed to helm drug developers since last summer. Abbie Celniker of Taligen Therapeutics, Bonnie Fendrock of Hepregen and Katrine Bosle of Avila Therapeutics gained recognition and top jobs in the industry after years of hard work, notes the Boston Business Journal. And the Journal says that there are plenty more women coming up through the ranks of Bay State biotechs.
Women moving up
Top Paying Jobs for Women
Even though there is a persistent wage gap, women are finding top paying jobs. Pharmacist is the top-earning career for women, paying them $86,0000 a year on average. Other careers that make this list by Forbes are computer scientist and systems analyst.
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| Science and Health |
Stem Cells Fresh from the Placenta
Scientists at the Children's Hospital of Oakland have recently completed a study showing that discarded placentas from healthy newborns are a rich source of stem cells. They were able to collect more stem cells from placentas than umbilical cord blood, and they succeeded in harvesting these stem cells in a manner that would be safe for transplantation. This study holds great promise for treatment of blood disorders, like sickle cell disease and leukemia, especially since existing therapies are unsuccessful because too few stem cells are present in umbilical cord blood.
Placental stem cells
Health Risks Associated with Women's Migraines
Two new studies have revealed a link between migraines with auras (flashing lights and other sensations) and increased risks for heart attacks and strokes as well as brain abnormalities. The first study was conducted by researchers at Harvard and in France and published in the journal Neurology, followed over 27,000 women over a 12-year period. More than 3500 of these women suffered from migraines, and those who had migraines with auras at least once per week were at much greater risk for stroke. Women who suffered from these migraines less than monthly had a slightly elevated risk for having a heart attack or needing a heart procedure. The second study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, surveyed migraine symptoms among Icelandic men and women and included brain scans taken nearly 30 years after the survey. A greater percentage of women who suffered from migraines with auras had brain infarcts than non-migraine sufferers. The infarcts, or areas of tissue damage, occurred in the cerebellum and were not associated with any immediate health problems, although they may contribute to age-related memory loss.
Trouble with your aura?
Breastfeeding Linked to Higher Grades
Professors Joseph Sabia of American University and Daniel Rees of the University of Colorado Denver studied the educational effects of breastfeeding or not breastfeeding of 126 children from 59 families. Siblings within each family were compared to each other with additional factors like maternal intelligence and quality of living environment. The professors found that each additional month of breastfeeding led to an increase in high school grade point average by 0.019 points and the likelihood of college attendance by 0.014 percent. Data was used from the National Longitude Study of Adolescent Health.
Milking your education
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| Lifestyle |
Top 11 Intriguing Science Books to Take on Vacation
Finding the perfect book for beach reading or vacations that combines science and entertainment can be a daunting task. Mary Spiro, a writer for the Baltimore Science Examiner, compiles a list of her top 11 suggested beach reads for the discerning science mind. Her criteria for choosing books include scientific accuracy, humor, and high-quality writing. For each book on the list, she provides a brief abstract and her thoughts about the book.
Read on
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| AWIS News and Events |
AWIS Central Jersey Chapter
Event: Skin Deep Symposium
Resources for Scientists & Entrepreneurs
Date: July 15, 2009
Time: 9:30A.M.-3:30P.M.
Location: NJ Center for BioMaterials
145 Bevier Road
Piscataway, New Jersey
More Information: Flyer Details
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Opportunities |
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.
For more information on these awards please visit the website. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Jessica Kunkler at jkunkler@aaas.org or by phone at (202) 326-6671.
NOMINATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE AAAS SCIENTIFIC FREEDOM AND
RESPONSIBILITY AWARD
THE DEADLINE FOR THIS IMPORTANT AWARD IS SEPTEMBER 1, 2009. For more information call or email Deborah Runkle at 202.326.6794 or drunkle@aaas.org
The award is given to scientists or engineers or their associations whose exemplary actions have served to foster scientific freedom and responsibility. Such achievements can include: acting to protect the public's health, safety or welfare; focusing public attention on important potential impacts of science and technology on society by their responsible participation in public policy debates; or establishing important new precedents in carrying out the social responsibilities or in defending the professional freedom of scientists and engineers.
AUTM Foundation Announces the 2009-10 Graduate Student Literature Review Prize Competition
A cash award will be given by the AUTM Foundation for top graduate student literature reviews of scholarly literature on some aspect of academic technology transfer and commercialization. Resources will also be available for winners to present their work at a special AUTM annual conference session.
Details can be found at this AUTM weblink: http://www.autm.net/litrevprize.
Initial application and review abstracts due September 15. For additional information, please contact the Chair of the Review Committee, Dr. Joshua Powers (jopowers@indstate.edu; 812-237-2900).
Sofja Kovalevskaja Award
The Sofja Kovalevskaja Award is open to highly acclaimed scholars and scientists from all countries and disciplines. Applicants must have completed a doctoral degree with distinction within the past six years and have published in prestigious international journals or academic presses. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation particularly welcomes applications from qualified, female junior researchers.
The application deadline for 2010 awards is October 15, 2009. The Foundation
plans to grant up to eight awards in the upcoming year.
Application forms and detailed information are available on the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation webpage
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
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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SPOTLIGHT on AWIS EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION AWARDEE
Katherine
Jones-Smith, PhD
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Dr. Katherine Jones-Smith is the 2009 recipient of the Luise Meyer-Schutzmeister Award given by the AWIS Educational Foundation. Dr. Jones-Smith recently earned her PhD from the Case Western University with a focus in particle astrophysics.
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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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Who's Hiring?
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Marine Fisheries Specialist
University of California, Davis
Research Associate
The Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator Sciences and Education (CLASSE)
Founding Director
The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (VTCRI)
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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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