AWIS
________________________________________________________________________

ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE
Washington Wire
Edited by: Christina Fuentes
September 2009
Issue I
Greetings!  
 
Back by popular demand:  The AWIS Career Webinar Series! Our Fall topic focuses on getting the job you want when you want it. 
 
Be sure to register early as there is limited space! 

Part I: "Here are my qualifications for you to overlook." - Tips on writing an effective RESUME

Part II: "Something will come along." - How to perform a proactive and meaningful JOB SEARCH

Part III: "Teamwork is OK, as long as other people don't get in the way." - Skills that will help you ace the INTERVIEW

Best regards,

Janet

__________
Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director
In This Issue
Education
Government
International
Careers
Science and Health
Lifestyle
Chapter News & Events
Opportunities
Education
Contributed by: Sanjukta Chakraborty

Women Making Strides in Graduate Education
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today released its annual report on graduate education trends.  The report shows that the number of doctoral degrees awarded to women in 2008 grew by 5.7%, compared to a 3.5% increase for men. Between 1998 and 2008, the average annual growth rate in doctorates for women was almost triple that for men, 3.9% vs. 1.4%.Women received just over 49% of doctorates awarded in 2007-08, up from 48% the previous year. The proportion varied by field, from 22% in engineering to almost 70% in health sciences.

Who's moving on


Fall in Foreign Admissions
In its first decline since 2004, foreign admissions to various schools in the U.S. have fallen this year. More than half of the 250 institutions that participated in a survey conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, DC reported a decline in foreign admissions particularly from India and Seoul. According to the Council's director, this is possibly a fallout of the recession.

DC's got no Seoul


Choose Your School
Selecting your next step in education is tough and a lot of factors come into play but a new website, PayScale, provides post undergraduate salary figures and most popular jobs narrowed by types of schools.

Get paid
Government
Revealed: How Congress Members Sound Off About Science
Capitol Words, a project of the Sunlight Foundation, reveals top ten lists of lawmakers using specific words. Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma heads the "science" list, with 166 mentions over the past 2 years.
 

International
Contributed by: Jennifer K. Wind

Just Because You Can't See It, Doesn't Mean You Can't Regulate It
The United States and the European Union have joined forces on a project called "Regulating Nanotechnologies in the EU and US." Nanotechnology is the study of novel materials smaller than 100 nanometers and has the potential to change the electronic, IT, healthcare, and life science industries. The goal of the project is to proactively address the need for environmental, financial, and trade-related policies while nanotechnology is still in its early-stages of development and commercialization. The results of this report are expected to influence policy proposals at the EU-US Summit of 2010.

Regulating nanotechnology
Careers
August 2009: "Unconscious Bias in Faculty and Leadership Recruitment: A Literature Review"
A new Analysis in Brief released by the American Association of Medical Colleges reviews the the scientific literature on unconscious bias and how it relates to job recruitment and evaluations. Women and minorities have made strides in achieving equality in the workplace, but they are still underrepresented in the upper strata of organizations, including senior faculty and leadership positions at medical schools and teaching hospitals. Social science researchers have pursued the theory of "unconscious bias" as one barrier to workplace equality that may persist despite a commitment to increase diversity.

Stereotypical


Best Careers for 2009
Science, engineering, and mathematics are among top career fields according to a recent report in US News & World Report. Considering factors such as job satisfaction, prestige, training and salary, US News created a list of careers that they believe offer the best opportunities for future growth and success. Jobs range from biomedical equipment technicians and systems analysts to pharmacists and elected officials.

Be a scientist
Science and Health
Contributed by: Christiana Fogg

Extra Flab Becomes Liquid Gold
Researchers at Stanford University have discovered a rich new source of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS)-human fat. Findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science show that adipose (fat) cells isolated from discarded liposuction materials could be transformed into iPS by the addition of four well-characterized genes. This transformation was more efficient than similar approaches using fibroblasts (skin cells), in part because researchers suspect that these fat cells are more like embryonic stem cells. These results suggest that leftover fat from liposuction procedures may provide a valuable new source of iPS.

Fat cells shape up into stem cells


Obesity and Immunity
Obesity is known to cause many collateral health problems, including increased susceptibility to infection and cancer. Now researchers at Louisiana State University have a better understanding of how obesity takes a toll on immunity. A report published in Blood showed that diet-induced obesity causes a premature reduction in the function of the thymus, a key immune organ. This process resulted in profound defects in T cells, which are central players in immune defense against infection and tumors.

Immune response compromised by obesity
Lifestyle
Contributed by: Lindsay De Biase

Blushing Has Its Bonuses
Along with crying and laughing, a peculiar human trait is blushing, the involuntary dilation of blood vessels to the neck and face that often accompanies an embarrassing situation. Recent research by Dutch psychologists Corine Dijk, Peter de Jong, and Madelon Peters addressed the question of whether blushing offers some sort of evolutionary advantage. In their study, students were presented with photos of a female model and told to imagine that she is the central character in a story involving social transgressions (e.g., driving away from a car crash) or embarrassing situations (e.g., passing gas in an elevator). The students then rated how sympathetic and trustworthy they found the women, and more than any other factors the presence of blushing led to higher ratings. By signaling genuine regret and embarrassment, blushing may increase an individual's chances of being forgiven after committing an error.  

Blush on


Wikipedia Article Contributors Predominantly Men
Preliminary results of a user survey conducted by The Wikipedia Foundation suggest that the majority of article contributors are men. Of the people who read Wikipedia articles, the gender distribution is 69% men, 31% women, but only 13% of people who write and edit articles are women. The survey found that article contributors are motivated by a desire to participate in "sharing knowledge" or by seeing an error and wanting to fix it. Individuals who don't contribute articles cite "time constraints," not knowing how to post or edit articles, or fear of getting in trouble for posting erroneous material as reasons that held them back. Complete results of the user survey remain to be published.

Where are Wiki's women?
AWIS News and Events
AWIS Bethesda Chapter
Event:    
Bethesda Chapter Board Meeting
Date:      
September 16, 2009
Contact:
(301) 951-0670


AWIS Central Jersey Chapter

Event:      Researcher-Friendly Image Analysis and Management Accelerates Biomedical Research
Date:        September 16, 2009
Time:        6:00 PM-8:00 PM
More Info: [email protected]


AWIS Massachusetts Chapter
Event:  AWIS Speed Networking
Date:   September 22, 2009
Time:   6:30 PM-9:00 PM


AWIS Palo Alto Chapter
Event:     Becoming A Person of Influence
Date:      Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Time:      7:00 PM-9:00 PM
RSVP:      Online


AWIS Palo Alto Chapter
Event:     Stories of AWIS
Date:      October 19, 2009
Time:      7:00 PM-9:00 PM
RSVP:      Online


AWIS Central Jersey Chapter
Event:      AWIS-CJC Planning for 2010
Date:        October 21, 2009
Time:        6:00 AM-8:00 PM
More Info: [email protected]


AWIS Connecticut Chapter
Event:      Resume Writing/Interview Workshops
Date:        October 21, 2009
Time:        6:00 PM-7:30 PM
RSVP:       Online


AWIS Central Arizona Chapter
Event:      Darwinfest Distinguished Speakers Series
Date:        October 28, 2009
Time:        11:30 AM - 1:30 PM


AWIS Central New Jersey Chapter
Event: Fall 2009 Lecture Series
Date:  November 4, 2009
Time:  6:00 PM-9:00 PM


AWIS Connecticut Chapter
Event: Panel Discussion on Interviewing for Jobs in Industry
Date:  November 11, 2009
Time:  6:00 PM-7:30 PM


AWIS Philadelphia Chapter
Event:      What Works Workshop
Date:        November 14, 2009
Time:        9:00AM-5:00PM
Location: University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
              Philadelphia, PA
More information: [email protected]

Opportunities

Sofja Kovalevskaja Award
The Sofja Kovalevskaja Award is open to highly acclaimed scholars and scientists from all countries and disciplines.
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


2010 National Science Board Public Service Award
The National Science Board (NSB) Public Service Award honors individuals who and groups that have made substantial contributions to increasing public understanding of science and engineering in the United States.  These contributions may be in a wide variety of areas that have the potential of contributing to public understanding of and appreciation for science and engineering - including mass media, education and/or training programs, entertainment, etc. Deadline: November 4, 2009


2010 Vannevar Bush Award
The Vannevar Bush Award honors truly exceptional lifelong leaders in science and technology who have made substantial contributions to the welfare of the Nation through public service activities in science, technology, and public policy.  The Vannevar Bush Award is presented by the National Science Board, the policymaking board of the National Science Foundation. Deadline: November 4, 2009.


The Schlumberger Foundation Calls for Applications
Faculty for the Future fellowships are awarded to women from developing and emerging economies who are preparing for PhD or postdoctoral study in the physical sciences, engineering and related disciplines to pursue advanced graduate study at top universities in their disciplines abroad. Candidates have from October 5th to November 30th 2009 to apply.


BeWISE Call for Presentations
Event:      Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet
Date:       Thursday, March 11 - Friday, March 12, 2010
Location:  United States Environmental Protection Agency  
               Region 5 Office
               77 West Jackson Blvd., 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60604
More Info: http://www.epa.gov/region5/water/wise/


The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 
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.
Quick Links
 
AWIS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Millicent Goldschmidt

Millicent Goldschmidt, PhD


The 2009 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) awarded Dr. Millicent Goldschmidt the Roche Diagnostics Alice C. Evans Award. The award "recognizes contributions toward the full participation and advancement of women in microbiology." Dr. Goldschmidt is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, Medical School.

Read more about Dr. Goldschmidt.

NEW MENTORING RESOURCE
 
  ALL NEW!
 
 
Getting the Most out of Your Mentoring Relationships:  A Handbook for Women in STEM
  • Provides a quick yet structured guide to mentoring
  • Includes a handy resource guide for quick reference
  • Is the most comprehensive handbook catered to women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Who's Hiring?
Senior Research Scientist
University of Wisconsin

Assistant Professor of Software Engineering
University of Washington, Bothell

Faculty Position, Department of Chemistry
University of Pennsylvania
Support AWIS
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.

Learn more
 
Join Our Mailing List