Greetings!
The AWIS Educational Awards Committee is pleased to offer awards to support women planning a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Established by AWIS in 1974 as the Educational Foundation, funds are provided by contributions from AWIS members and other donors.
Awards are spread among the STEM fields, and for 2010 will be weighted in favor of those disciplines where women are still significantly underrepresented (Computer Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences). The awards are available to female undergraduate and predoctoral students.
The deadline for application is January 29, 2010. For more information, visit AWIS Educational Awards.
Best regards,
Janet
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Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director
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| Education |
| Contributed by: Sanjukta Chakraborty
Keeping College Within Reach
A recent study of 1,141 American mothers, conducted by Oppenheimer Funds, Inc., concluded that women are deeply committed to being proactive in the educational life of their children, including putting them through college. However, planning for college remains a very important aspect in maintaining the balance between realizing their kid's dreams and securing their own financial future and well-being.
Planning for college
Women Get the Message
The U.S. Commission on Civil rights will investigate whether or not American institutions of higher learning are admitting less qualified men in order to boost their female graduation rates. Nearly 58% of those earning undergraduate degrees are women. It is not startling when that same trend is occurring in graduate schools. Could it be that institutions just are not giving women their just credit?
Roll on quotas
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| Government |
Contributed by: Jennifer K. Wind
Why Women Walk
A new report titled "Staying Competitive: Patching America's Leaky Pipeline in the Sciences" addressed why many women with PhDs never reach tenure. Resulting from a national longitudinal survey, the report covers parental leave policies, Title IX adherence, and unforgiving timelines in the research arena. With clearly communicated family-friendly policies, the federal government and universities will be able to retain more women scientists, hopefully.
Patching the pipeline
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| International |
Contributed by: Lindsay De Biase
Science and Technology as a Bridge to Muslim Nations
While speaking in Morocco, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton made a surprise announcement that the Obama administration has appointed three prominent US scientists to act as envoys to begin building scientific and technological collaborations between the US and Muslim-majority nations across the world. This step illustrates the administrations belief that science and technology partnerships are an important component of diplomacy. The elite envoy team is composed of Ahmed H. Zewail, chemistry Nobelist at the California Institute of Technology, Elias Zerhouni, a radiologist and former NIH director, and Bruce Alberts, former president of the US National Academy of the Sciences.
Scientific diplomacy
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| Careers |
Contributed by: Sarah Rhodes
Harvard's Head Honcho
Want to know what it takes to be president of a top institution? The New York Times interviewed Drew Gilpin Faust, the 28th president of Harvard University, about what it takes to be a good leader. Faust is Harvard's first female president and only the fifth woman to serve as president of an Ivy League University. What is the secret to her success? Among other things, Faust cited holiday ice cream socials as playing a role!
Leadership without a secret code
Recovery Act Funds Awarded to Enhance Scientific Networking
The success of social and professional networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn has now been harnessed to benefit science. The National Center for Research Resources (part of the NIH) has allocated $27 million of Recovery Act funds to enhance scientist and science resource networking. Harvard University received an award to create a site where scientists can share resources, and the University of Florida will create a social network for the scientific community. Together, the hope is that this infrastructure will accelerate biomedical research.
Network your way to success
Women in Science Careers at NIH
The
NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) has published a new
book, Women in Science at the National Institutes of Health 2007-2008.
The book highlights the diverse roles undertaken by doctoral level
women at the NIH, including basic scientists, program directors, policy
analysts, epidemiologists and directors. The primary objective of the
book, which models the success stories of individual women in science
and the career paths they undertook, is to reach out and inspire people
from various fields to consider furthering their scientific education
and careers.
Diverse roles at NIH
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| Science and Health |
Contributed by: Lauren DiPerna
The Benefits of Chocolate!
A recent study published in the Journal of Proteome Research has found that dark chocolate can reduce the level of stress in people with high anxiety. The clinical trial involved 11 men and 19 women who were grouped based on their level of anxiety. Each subject was given 40 grams of dark chocolate a day for two weeks. The daily change in the subjects' stress levels were monitored through nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry of their urine and blood plasma. At the end of the clinical trial the data showed that dark chocolate had a significant effect on normalizing the levels of emotional stress in subjects with high anxiety levels.
Sweet release
Are Plastic Bottles Safe?
Even though the FDA still recommends using Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical found in plastic containers, cans, and baby bottles, several studies have shown that BPA can be detrimental to the health of humans. A recent study published in the journal Human Reproduction evaluated the health of 230 male workers who were exposed to high levels of BPA against a control group of 284 male workers with similar demographic backgrounds but who had no exposure to BPA. The study found that the male workers who were exposed to high levels of BPA had a much higher risk of male sexual dysfunction.
Bottle it up
Alcoholism in Fruit Flies and Humans
A recent study published in the journal Genetics examined alcoholism through researching intoxicated fruit flies. Through the study of ethanol-exposed flies, scientists were able to locate potential biomarkers for alcoholism. In addition, the "alcoholism genes" in flies was found to be the same as in humans. As a result of the study scientists may be able to develop a drug that targets and eliminates alcoholism.
Keep those 99 bottles of beer on the wall
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| Lifestyle |
| Contributed by: Haroula Argiros
A Traumatic Childhood
May Shorten One's Life
According to an epidemiological study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, life expectancy may be
reduced by 20 years among adults who experienced six or more particular types
of abuse or adverse childhood events (ACEs). Such ACEs can include emotional, physical,
or sexual abuse. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
reported that this was the first cohort study ever conducted to examine the
association between ACEs and mortality. Previous reports have suggested that
subjects with a greater number of ACEs are also more likely to suffer from other
chronic illnesses such as mental illness, substance abuse, and antisocial
behavior, which may account for 30% of the 50% greater risk of death seen in
this population.
Grab a safety blanket
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| AWIS News and Events |
AWIS Palo Alto Chapter
Event: 10 Top Tips for Using LinkedIn Effectively
Date: November 18, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
AWIS Seattle Chapter
Event: Nova Nordisk-A New Kid on the Seattle Block
Date: November 18, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
AWIS Massachusetts Chapter
Event: Negotiating With Your Spouse
Date: November 19, 2009
Time: 6:30 PM-9:30 PM
AWIS East Bay Chapter
Event: Effective "Boss" Management Winning Strategies for Managing "Up"
Date: November 19, 2009
Time: 6:30 PM-9:30 PM
AWIS New York Metropolitan Chapter
Event: Autumnal Evening of Research: What It's Really Like to Quit Smoking
Date: November 19, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
AWIS Greater Baltimore Chapter
Event: Networking Event
Date: December 3, 2009
Time: 5:30 PM-8:00 PM
RSVP: Online
AWIS LA/Ventura County Chapter
Event: Holiday Potluck
Date: December 4, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
AWIS Autumn Webinar Series: Part 3
Event: Skills that will help you ace the INTERVIEW
Date: December 7, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM-3:00 PM
Register: Online
AWIS Palo Alto Chapter
Event: Winter Networking Social
Date: December 7, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM-9:00 PM
AWIS Massachusetts Chapter
Event: Holiday Celebration!
Date: December 9, 2009
Time: 6:30 PM-9:30 PM
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Opportunities |
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.
Hellman Fellowship in Science and Technology Call for Applications
Applicants must have a Ph.D. in an area of science or engineering and have some experience or a demonstrated interest in an area related to science and technology policy. Masters degrees may be considered in the fields of engineering and computer science. Strong writing and organizational skills are desired. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or current employees of an academic or professional organization in the United States. For more information see http://www.amacad.org/hellman.aspx. Deadline is January 15, 2010.
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.
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AWIS BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Cathy Middlecamp, PhD
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After ten years of dedicated volunteer service to AWIS, Dr. Cathy Middlecamp is retiring from the National Board. We wish to thank her for all her work on behalf of women in science!
To read more about Cathy, click here. |
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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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Assistant Professor-Biology
Broad Institute and MIT Department of Biology
Associate/Full Professor-Chemistry
CUNY
Tenure Track Faculty-Polymer Chemistry
University of New Hampshire
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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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