Greetings!
Donate to our Internship Fund!
Advocacy, career development, website content, social media sites - these are just a few of the projects our interns support. And you can support our interns by donating to our internship fund today.
We are able to pay our interns competitive stipends through the generous contributions of members like you. We gratefully accept all donations, large and small. Or, sponsor one intern's entire 12-week internship with a donation of $3,000.
To make your tax-free donation, go to the AWIS website to make your contribution via credit card. Or, if you prefer, mail in your check to:
AWIS Intern Fund
1442 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
If you've already given, thank you and please disregard this message.
Best,
Janet
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Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director
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| Education |
Contributed by: Erin Rogers
More Work Needed to Improve Diversity Among Higher Education Faculty
Earlier this year The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) released a report titled "Promoting Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Faculty: What Higher Education Unions Can Do." The report describes the significant progress in achieving student diversity on American college campuses, but also highlights the need for more work to achieve diversity among higher education faculty. The AFT argues that efforts to increase faculty diversity have not been sufficient and in some cases have been "off-putting" to members of underrepresented ethnic and racial groups. To help combat these problems, the AFT report includes a series of recommendations and activities that educational unions can use on their campuses to improve faculty diversity.
Read the full report
Promoting Student Success
Over fifty institutions are participating in a project to figure out what policies and practices exercised by universities will promote PhD attrition rates. Included in these practices are mentoring and healthy program environment, two practices AWIS has a long tradition of promoting.
We must succeed!
Equity in K-12 Computer Science Education
The Anita Borg Institute in conjunction with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and the University of Arizona released a report exploring why women are absent from K-12 computer science. As schools compete for computing resources girls are not encouraged to jump in the fight to learn computer science, a critical aspect of national competitiveness.
More than just typing class
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| Government |
Contributed by: Sarah Rhodes
Women Win and Lose with the New Health Care Bill
Several provisions in the recently signed Health Care Bill will have a positive impact on women in particular, whereas others will have the opposite effect. Positive aspects include elimination of discrimination based on pre-existing conditions (which has been known to include pregnancy), increased access to OB-GYN and midwifery care, partial elimination of gender rating (which often leaves women being charged higher premiums) and free preventative care. Negative aspects include continuation of age and gender rating (for some policies), lack of coverage for immigrant women and changes to abortion coverage by insurance. For a more in-depth analysis, follow the link below.
The health care bill and women
Is It Personal for Pelosi?
Nancy Pelosi, a 69-year-old mother of five is a woman of many firsts; she is the first female speaker of the house, and a significant political player who moved the U.S. Congress to pass the first major national health care initiative in a generation. "It's personal for women," said Pelosi, echoing research findings that problems in the health care system impact more on women than men, and that women take on more of the burden of family health care than men. So could being a woman have any influence on her ability to pull off what some might have considered impossible? Pelosi is certainly well known for being an advocate for issues affecting children and women. However, many people interviewed in this article attribute her success to her political savvy and the long-standing aims of her political party rather than her gender.
Pelosi's triumph
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| International |
Contributed by: Arianne Cease
Affirmative Action in the Management Ranks of Europe's Biggest Telecom Firm
Germans first major firm, and Europe's biggest telecom firm - Deutsche Telekom - has introduced a quota system to ensure that 30% of its upper and middle management positions are held by women by 2015. "Having a greater number of women at the top will quite simply enable us to operate better." Check out the link for more on gender quotas in other European countries.
Balancing the gender scale
Saudi Aims to Diversify Economy by Increasing Women in the Workplace
On the heels of a December election where a businesswoman, Lama al-Sulaiman, was elected deputy chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, momentum has continued to increase women's move into the workplace. "Raising women's employment would give companies higher-skilled workers since almost 60% of Saudi university students are women," al-Sulaiman explains.
Saudi shifting the labor force
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| Careers |
Contributed by: Sarah Rhodes
The Future is Bright for Harvard's Female Faculty
This New York Times article reports on the improvements for female Harvard University faculty members since its female President Drew Gilpin Faust has been at the helm. Faust succeeded former president Larry Summers, who became infamous (and subsequently resigned) for his suggestion that women's underrepresentation in math and science fields might be the result of innate differences. Under Faust, professors can now get up to $20,000 to help pay for childcare, and new programs to encourage young women to pursue science and research careers. Furthermore, over a quarter of Harvard's faculty are now women and last year, tenure offers were extended to 16 women and 25 men, compared with four women and 28 men in the last year of Summers' presidency.
Women making gains on faculty at Harvard
Report Addresses Why There Are So Few Women in Science
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has released a report on the under-representation of women in science and math. The 134-page report called "Why So Few?" was funded by a grant from the NSF. The primary conclusion was that despite the gains women have made in science and engineering departments, stereotypes, unconscious gender biases and the climate within universities still impede their success. The report includes up-to-date statistics on the achievements of girls and women achievement and participation in these areas. Among the report's findings, it found that women job applicants had to publish three more papers in prestigious journals (or 20 in lesser known journals) to be judged as productive as male applicants. New ideas are also presented in the report for what can be done to make science and math more open to females (e.g. a course on spatial skills for women going into engineering, or teaching girls that math ability isn't fixed, but grows with effort).
Why so few?
Pay and Promotion Matter
A new working paper examines the exodus of women from the science and engineering fields, and upends some popularly accepted wisdom. The author, Jennifer Hunt, finds that the gap is primarily driven by the engineering field, and that "60% of the gap can be explained by the relatively greater exit rate from engineering of women dissatisfied with pay and promotion opportunities." Family-related explanations, which are often blamed for the gap, play a much smaller role. Hunt finds a strong positive relationship between share of male workers and excess female exits, which suggests a need for policies aimed at improving female mentoring and networks, and reducing discrimination, across male-dominated fields.
Still facing bias and barriers
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| Science and Health |
Contributed by: Anahita Hamadi
Socioeconomic Status and Health
Scientists have long disagreed upon the extent to which an individual's early-life environment contributes to subsequent health status as an adult. For years, twin studies have served as indispensable research tools aimed at clarifying the role of both biological and social factors in development. A recent study conducted by Harvard's School of Public Health, investigated the health of 308 pairs of mono- and dizygotic American women twins who lived together as children until at least age 14. The results showed that, at least for monozygotic twins, cardiovascular factors differed in those pairs of twins who were discordant in occupational status as adults. The working class twin fared worse in terms of cardiovascular health compared with her professional twin sister. These differences were not detectable when comparisons were made based on educational attainment status, a factor that the authors argue did not necessarily reflect an individual's socioeconomic status. The results confirm the invaluable role twin studies play in investigating the contribution of both social and biological factors in health and human development.
Deciphering twins
Further Evidence Links Severity of H1N1 Influenza Symptoms to Pregnancy
A new study that followed the epidemiology the 2009 influenza pandemic in Australia and New Zealand confirmed that pregnancy was a significant risk factor for influenza-related complications. This population-based study was published in the British Medical Journal and supported reports from the U.S. that pregnant women, especially those in the second half of their pregnancy, were at a significantly greater risk of developing respiratory complications requiring hospitalization compared with their nonpregnant counterparts. None of the women who developed complications had been vaccinated against H1N1, so the protective effects of this vaccine could not be assessed. These findings once again remind pregnant women that they should seek immediate medical attention if they think they may have the flu.
H1N1 hazards not forgotten
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| Work Life Satisfaction |
Networking While on a Career Break
If you are taking a career break there are still ways to sustain and build your network for a later return to the field. Make a list of the people with whom you would like to remain in touch. Get on the phone and make sure these people know your situation. Those people may be your door to others that can help you. Read more ways to keep your network going if you are taking time away.
Stay connected
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| AWIS News and Events |
AWIS El Paso Chapter
Event: TTUHSC
Date: April 5, 2010
Time: 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: Strategy Session - Managing Change
Date: April 5, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
AWIS Central Jersey Chapter
Event: The Gift of Mentoring
Date: April 8, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
AWIS West Virginia Chapter
Event: Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics
Date: April 10, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM
AWIS Philadelphia Chapter
Event: Can Food Be Medicine?
Date: April 13, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
AWIS National
Event: Getting the Most Out of the AWIS Website -
Part 2
Date: April 13, 2010; 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
April 15, 2010; 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
AWIS Northern California Chapters
Event: The 2010 16th Annual Awards and Recognition Banquet
Date: April 28, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: Scholarship Gala
Date: May 6, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM-9:30 PM
AWIS Palo Alto Chapter
Event: Women's Leadership Seminar Series
Date: May 6, 2010
Time:
6:00 PM-8:00 PM
AWIS East Bay Chapter
Event: Approaching Career Watersheds with Confidence
Date: May 27, 2010
Time: 6:30 PM-8:30 PM
AWIS National and Bethesda Chapter
Event: USA Science and Engineering Festival
Date: October 23 & 24, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM-5:30 PM each day
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Opportunities |
AWIS Volunteering Opportunity
The Washington Wire is looking for contributors. If you would like to contribute as an abstract writer on the Career beat, please contact Danielle Briggs for more information.
INVITATION to GAIN Workshop
Event: Making The Right Move: How to Become a Young Investigator in Germany
Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: Workshop 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm (incl. a coffee break)
Reception 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Goethe-Institute Washington
812 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001-3718
RSVP: By April 6 at http://www.gain-network.org
Institut Pasteur Offers Fellowship Grants
Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants to work at the Institut Pasteur Fellowship package is $70,000 per year for three years for a grand total of $210,000. Deadline September 17, 2010
Scholarship for PhD and Postdoctoral Studies in Sweden
The program provides PhD students and researchers with an excellent opportunity to conduct a study or research visit to a Swedish university within all fields of study. For more information click here.
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 News
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AWIS Celebrates Women's
History Month by Promoting Workplace Equity
Read the Press Release
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AWIS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rita Colwell, PhD
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Congratulations to Dr. Rita Colwell, AWIS Fellow and member of our Endowment Advisory Board, who has just been named the 2010 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.
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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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Astrophysicist
Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory
Senior Scientific
Advisor for Women's Urologic Health
National Institutes
of Health
Science 100 Lecturer
UMBC
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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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AWIS Partners with USA Science & Engineering Festival
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More Info Here!
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