Greetings!
AWIS
membership renewal email notices will be sent out next week. We hope you have been able to take advantage
of the many new programs we've developed this past year with you in mind. In addition to receiving regular membership
benefits like our award-winning AWIS magazine and this e-newsletter, our
popular webinars have provided much needed information to our members completely free as a benefit of AWIS
membership.
As a membership-based and
funded organization, AWIS relies on your membership and contributions to
continue to champion the interests of all women in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics by breaking down barriers and creating
opportunities to ensure that each and everyone can achieve their full
potential.
Renewing your membership and making a contribution to AWIS is fast
and easy. Go to www.awis.organd click on "Renew" under
Membership Services on the right-hand side of the screen. This will take you to your membership portal
where you will be able to renew online as well as include your generous
contribution by using our secure site.
Thank you for your continued membership in
AWIS and if you have any questions, just call us at 703-372-4380 or email
membership@awis.org.
Best,
Cindy
_______________
Cindy Simpson
Director of Programs and External Relations
|
| Education | Contributed by: Sanjukta Chakraborty
Attracting More
Latinos to STEM
A new report from the University
of Southern California's Center for Urban Education explores the different ways
in which representation of Latino students in STEM degrees could be increased.
In an effort to help the National Science Foundation develop an Hispanic Serving
Institutions Undergraduate Initiative, this report identifies the various
reasons for under-representation including underfunding Hispanic serving
institutions, and difficulty in transitioning from community colleges to
research universities institutions. The report
outlines that while the total number of Latinos earning bachelor's
degrees has steadily improved over the last decade, this improvement is
restricted to the social sciences rather than the STEM fields. Researchers
indicate that the overall findings of the study point to a need for better
utilization of the America COMPETES Act, funding to increase research, and educational
opportunities for Latino and Hispanic serving institutes.
Clearing the path
Ten Years After Florida Affirmative-Action Admissions Ban
Florida banned affirmative-action admissions ten years ago and the results show fewer minorities attending college in the post-ban years respective to the number of minorities graduating from high school. The gap between minority high school graduates and and college freshmen enrollment is widening. In 1999 14.7% of high school graduates were Hispanic who went on to be 13.9% of college freshmen. Even though by 2008 that high school percentage rose to 21.4% of graduates only 19.1% of enrolled freshmen were Hispanic.
The gap widens
|
| Government | Contributed by: Sarah Rhodes
NASA Breaks
Record for Number of Women in Space
As the space shuttle Discovery blasted into
space, 47 years after the first woman (Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova)
tackled space flight, NASA (apparently inadvertently) broke the record for the
most women in space at the same time.
The seven-person crew included three women, and will join a fourth woman
at the international space station. Men
will however still outnumber women 2:1 on board the shuttle and the space
station. The female astronauts include a
former schoolteacher, a chemist (and former electrician), and two
engineers. Female astronauts must be
married and have a child in order to be eligible to fly as this (so officials
say) demonstrates a level of maturity. Male astronauts are not required to meet these criteria. This new record comes at time when the future
of American space flight is uncertain.
Only three more shuttle missions are left after this one, as NASA's
latest budget did not include provisions for any more shuttle launches.
Women at the final frontier
|
| Careers | Contributed by: Christine DiRienzo
$200 Million Gender Discrimination
Class Action Suit Against Novartis
A 5,600-plaintiff class
action suit has been brought against Novartis, in which it is claimed that the
company discriminated against women by encouraging a culture that ignored complaints
of sexual harassment, discouraged pregnancies, underpaid women, and failed to
discipline managers who were inappropriate with female staff. With only 30% of district sales managers
being women, the class action also describes what it claims is an environment
that made it difficult for women to obtain higher-level positions. These claims substantiate violations of Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act.
Gender bias cited in suit against Novartis
Fed Hits the Breaks on Hiring Women to Power Positions
In the 1990's women practically ran to the top positions in the federal government increasing from 12.3 percent in 1992 to 26.2 percent in 2003. But those numbers are nearly at a screeching halt. From 2006 to 2009 women in Senior Executive Service hardly cracked a one percentage point from 28.7 to 29.9 percent. A new report released by the appropriately named group Federally Employed Women (FEW) explains this disparity.
Clawing for the top
Wage Gap in Life Sciences Persists
In 2007 the researchers surveyed 3,080 life sciences faculty at the top
50 academic medical centers receiving National Institutes of Health
funding in 2003 or 2004. Respondents answered questions on professional
activities, such as leadership positions at their universities;
participation in federal panels or at scientific journals; numbers of
articles published; hours spent on professional, scientific, and
clinical activities; and total compensation.
According to the new study conducted by the Mongan Institute for Health
Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and published in the April 2010
issue of Academic Medicine, women who reached the rank of full professor
worked significantly more hours per week than men of the same rank and
spent more time in administrative and other professional tasks and not
patient care, teaching, or research. Among associate professors, the
hours were comparable, but women at the assistant professor level worked
fewer hours overall, primarily spending less time doing research.
Women conducting research in the life sciences receive on average about
$13,000 less than their male counterparts--a salary gap that can't be
explained by productivity or other professional factors. That's the
conclusion of a new study conducted by the Mongan Institute for Health
Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, published in the April 2010
issue of Academic Medicine.
Still trying to get ahead
|
| Science and Health | Contributed by: Jennifer MacArthur
New Way HIV Infects Women Discovered
Scientists have uncovered a mechanism to explain how HIV may cross through the lining of a woman's genital tract to establish infection without direct access to the blood stream. In a study published in PLoS Pathogens, researchers exposed cultures of mucosal epithelial cells to various strains of HIV-1, and observed an increase in the "leakiness" of the cell layers. Exposure to the virus' envelope glycoprotein alone also lowered the integrity of the epithelial lining by turning off gene expression of tight junction proteins. The virus could then squeeze through the "cracks" in the genital lining and infect target cells in the blood. As women are the fastest growing group of new HIV-infections, understanding this unique transmission method may provide new drug targets for preventing HIV infection in women.
Infectious
Home Test Kits Increase HPV Detection
Regular gynecological screening reduces the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. However, for various reasons, many women still do not follow the recommendation to have yearly pap smears. In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers were able to significantly increase screening compliance by offering a home test kit, allowing women to send in a self-collected sample to detect for high-risk HPV. Incorporating this option into screening programs may further improve cervical cancer outcomes.
Home bodies
Study Questions Whether Screening Really Cuts Breast Cancer Deaths
The British Medical Journal also reported a study evaluating the success of mammography screening programs introduced in two regions of Denmark in the 1990's. Surprisingly, when compared with Danish regions without an organized breast cancer screening program, the screened regions showed no difference in mortality from breast cancer over a ten year period. The researchers suggest that improvements in breast cancer mortality are due to better treatments options, rather than increased use of mammograms.
Better treatments
|
| Work-Life Satisfaction | Contributed by: Geetha Srinivasan
Happy in Life? You Are Probably Happy at Work
"If people are satisfied at work, does this mean they will be more satisfied and happier in life overall? Or is the causal effect the opposite way around?" researchers at Wright State University recently asked. They examined 223 studies on job and life satisfaction conducted between 1967 and 2008. The analysis pointed to a positive correlation between general well-being and job satisfaction. The study found that people who are generally content in their lives tend to be satisfied with their workplace. However, the reverse was not true. People who were less satisfied with other aspects of their lives and sought satisfaction through work were not content at work either.
Happy up here
|
| AWIS News and Events | AWIS Chicago
Chapter
Event:Women in Science Symposium 2010: Building an Identity
Date: April 17,
2010
AWIS DC Metropolitan
Chapter
Event:Careers off the Bench
Date: April 20,
2010
Time: 6:30 PM-8:00 PM
AWIS West Texas
Chapter
Event:Improving Work Life Satisfaction
Date: April 26,
2010
Time: 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
AWIS Bethesda
Chapter
Event:Career Paths and the Impact of Program and Policy
Date: April 27,
2010
Time: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM
AWIS Corpus Christi
Chapter
Event:Improving Work Life Satisfaction
Date: April 27,
2010
Time: 7:30 PM-9:00 PM
AWIS Gulf Coast-Houston
Chapter
Event:Improving Work Life Satisfaction
Date: April 28,
2010
Time:5:30 PM-8:00 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 El Paso
Chapter
Event:Improving Work Life Satisfaction
Date: April 29,
2010
Time: 5:30 PM-8:00 PM
AWIS National
Event:Strategies and Tactics for Getting Research Grants
Date:May 3,
2010
Time:3:00 PM-4:30 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
| | |
|
Opportunities |
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. |
|
|
|
|
AWIS FELLOW SPOTLIGHT
Kathie L. Olsen, PhD
| Congratulations to Dr. Kathie L. Olsen, AWIS Fellow and long-time AWIS member, who has been appointed Vice President, International Programs at the
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) effective
May 3.
|
| ADVERTISEMENT |
At UC Berkeley Extension, gain a thorough overview of the regulations and guidelines that govern clinical trials, human testing procedures that are essential to the drug development process for biopharmaceutical companies.
Learn more
|
| 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?
| Clinical
Epidemiologist
University of Vermont
Physicist Research
Scientist
The
Advanced Light Source
Chief Scientist,
Chemistry and Biology
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
| |
SUPPORT AWIS
| Help other women in science! Donate to AWIS for its programs and awards.
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
|
AWIS Partners with USA Science & Engineering Festival
|
|
More Info Here!
|
|
|
