Greetings!
We hope you've had a good summer! Your AWIS Team has been busy creating new BENEFITS for you as well as upgrading your favorite standbys like the award-winning AWIS Magazine. The latest issue is being printed as we speak and will be in the mail to you shortly.
If you have not renewed your membership, this will be the last issue you receive. If you have, thank you, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with the benefits of an AWIS membership!
Best regards,
Janet
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Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director
Association for Women in Science
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| Education |
Contributed by: Sanjukta Chakraborty and Christine DiRienzo
Gaps Are Not Inevitable
The notion that graduation rates of African-American and Latino students are lower than their Caucasian and Asian peers has been challenged by two new reports from the Education Trust. Using its College Results Online database to compare graduation rates of minority students with their white counterparts at individual institutions, the report shows that there exists a widely varying outcome at colleges and universities with comparably prepared and composed student bodies. Officials of the Trust emphasize that no institution is predestined to have different success rates for different groups of students. Several colleges and universities have now joined hands across states in an initiative to considerably reduce the graduation rate gap for minority and low-income groups.
Bridging the gap
Student Loan Payment Rates Slow at For-Profit Colleges
Data released recently by the Department of Education reveal that for-profit colleges have a startlingly low rate of student loan re-payment. Analysis of this report reveals that loan repayment rate is a mere 36% in for-profit colleges as opposed to 56% in private non-profit institutions. Repayment rates are a growing concern not only for the students who are over-burdened with debt and the taxpayer who pays if the student defaults, but also for the educational institutions. According to a new directive, institutions could lose eligibility for federal funding if loan re-payment rates are too low.
How fast are the students re-paying?
Dad, Version 2.0
A new generation of scientist-fathers is emerging. Increasing numbers of fathers are becoming involved in the day-to-day child rearing activities that have consumed working mothers for years. Scientists like Chad Nusbaum, co-director of the Genome Sequencing and Analysis program at the Broad Institute of Harvard and M.I.T., chose to take two months away from work to bond with his newborn son while his wife, a tenured professor at Brandeis University, went back to work. With increasing numbers of men taking advantage of this time for family actively involved fathers may soon become a common feature of the modern family rather than a rare phenomenon.
More than breadwinners
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| Careers | Contributed by: Christine DiRienzo
Stop Holding
Yourself Back
Do you consider yourself to always know best, never ask for help, and
have to be the best at everything? If
this sounds familiar then you may be holding yourself back in your
career. Marcia Reynold, a psychologist, corporate
coach, and author of Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and
Direction, researched the assumptions and thought patterns women use in
business. The book describes five
critical assumptions that drive top-performing businesswomen.
Wander women
Women CEOs
Shatter Glass Ceiling in Chemical Industry
The public image of two major chemical companies had a face lift when
Ellen J. Kullman of DuPont and Lynn L. Elsenhans of Sunoco took the helm as CEOs
of their respective companies. Until 2009 there were always women executives
at chemical companies but never as CEO. Low job satisfaction has led to job-jumping for many women, and company
hopping can become a major barrier to women when trying to rise through the
ranks. The chemical industry lags behind
other corporations in terms of the number of women managers. In order to retain women managers need to
ask women what they need. In other
words, it's not just about shattering the glass ceiling, but we need to
send-down a ladder for those who follow.
Chemical industry gets face lift
Interviewing With Body Language
CareerBuilder.com recently interviewed more than 2,500 hiring managers across the country about body language mistakes job seekers make. Not smiling, smiling too much, excessive head tilting, and lack of eye contact made the list. Women, more often than men, are guilty of many of these behaviors, and may also act 'too girlish.' These behaviors send the wrong message to employers who may interpret 'girlish' behaviors such as head nodding and over-smiling as signs of immaturity and lack of confidence. By losing or modifying some of these behaviors you may boost your chances during the interview process.
Walk the walk
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| Science and Health | Contributed by: Jennifer MacArthur
Sponge Genome Reveals Keys to Multicellular Life
The sea sponge genome sequence, recently reported in Nature, gives several insights into the origins of multicellular life. Examination of the sponge genome has common gene families involved in cellular differentiation and multicellular cooperation common to all animals, and has also highlighted groups of genes which sea sponges lack that are likely to be responsible for more complex body forms.
Answers at the bottom of the ocean
Calcium Supplements May Increase Heart Attack Risk
Calcium supplements are often prescribed for skeletal health, but a recent trial suggests they might increase rates of heart attack and cardiovascular events in otherwise healthy older women. According to a study published in the British Medical Journal which analyzed the results of eleven randomized controlled trials involving 12,000 patients, calcium supplements were associated with about a 30% increased risk of heart attack. Although the increase in risk is modest, the widespread use of calcium supplements may still translate that risk into a large disease burden in the population. Because calcium supplements only provide modest benefit on bone density and fracture prevention, the researchers argue that the role of calcium supplements in osteoporosis management should be reassessed.
Cardiac risk from calcium supplements
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| Work-Life Satisfaction | Contributed by: Sarah Rhodes
2010 Top Cities for Working Moms
If you are a mother then read on because Forbes has released its list of this year's top 50 US cities for working moms. Cities were rated using criteria such as earning potential, job opportunity, employment rate, health care, quality of schooling, and safety. The top five cities are: Minneapolis, Washington, DC, Boston, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. Minneapolis, which some might consider a surprise winner, boasts the lowest crime and the second lowest rate of unemployment. Last year's winner, New York City, dropped to eight place.
Best Cities for Working Mothers
Benefits of Being Disconnected
A group of neuroscientists vacationed in remote Utah to study the affects our digital age is having on our brains. The study has the same roots as research of consumption. Too much digital consumption is thought to lead to anxiety and depression. Getting out into nature may alleviate these conditions.
Turn off, tune out, drop in
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| AWIS News and Events | AWIS DC Metropolitan Chapter
Event: DC Chapter Happy Hour
Date: August 17, 2010
Time: 6:30 PM-8:30 PM
AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: Coffee Club-Working Moms Discussion Group
Date: August 18, 2010
Time: 7:45 AM-8:45 AM
AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: Mid Career Coffee Club
Date: August 19, 2010
Time: 7:45 AM-8:45 AM
AWIS Greater Baltimore Chapter
Event: Summer Potluck Picnic
Date: August 29, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM-6:00 PM
AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: San Diego Chapter Happy Hour
Date: August 31, 2010
Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
AWIS Gulf Coast-Houston Chapter
Event: Galveston Happy Hour
Date: September 1, 2010
Time: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM
AWIS Gulf Coast-Houston Chapter
Event: Houston Happy Hour
Date: September 1, 2010
Time: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM
AWIS San Diego Chapter
Event: Tour of Illumina, Inc.
Date: September 8, 2010
Time: 12:00 PM-2:30 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 |
Vote for the Science Idol
Deadline: September 6, 2010
Union of Concerned Scientist calls upon you to vote on their calendar cover. Vote today!
GreatNonprofits Partners with Association for Women in Science
Deadline: August 31, 2010
The campaign will recognize the work of top-rated nonprofits, whether it's through advancing scientific knowledge, offering education resources, or employing tech solutions to solve local and global problems. Click here to get started today.
Nominations for the AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award
Deadline: September 1, 2010
The award is given to scientists or engineers or their associations whose exemplary actions have served to foster scientific freedom and responsibility. For more information visit the AAAS website.
NIH Director's Pioneer and New Innovator Awards Program
Deadline: September 13, 2010
For Pioneer Award applications see the instructions in the RFA (RFA-RM-10-008) and click here for more information.
Deadline: September 20, 2010
For New Innovator Award applications see the instructions in the RFA (RFA-RM-10-009) and click here for more information.
Inspiring Women Scientists
Date: September 24, 2010
Register by: September 13, 2010
The CUNY Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the CUNY Graduate School and University Center, and the Feminist Press present Inspiring Women Scientists.
Institut Pasteur Offers Fellowship Grants
Deadline: September 17, 2010
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. Click here for applications.
Lemelson-MIT
Prize
Deadline: October 5, 2010
The
$500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize recognizes individuals who translate their
ideas into inventions and innovations that improve the world in which we
live. Click here for more information.
AAAS Invites Nominations for the New AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science
Deadline: October 15, 2010
Nominations are invited for the new AAAS Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science. Nominations may be made by AAAS affiliate organizations, universities, government agencies, media, research organizations, and individuals.
NIH National Graduate Student Research Festival
Date: October 25, 2010
An annual two-day
event held on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. This year's Festival will introduce 200 advanced graduate
students in the sciences to the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP)
with the aim of recruiting them to do postdoctoral training at the NIH. Learn more
2011 Alan T. Waterman Award
Deadline: October 30, 2010
Each year, the Foundation bestows the
Waterman Award to recognize the talent, creativity, and influence of a
singular young researcher. Nominations must be submitted electronically using NSF's FastLane system.
The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
This program has a
rolling admission.
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. Click here for more 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. 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. Click here for application materials and detailed information. |
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AWIS MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Michelle Arnold, PhD
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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
| WHO'S HIRING?
| Supervisory Research
Leader
USDA/ARS
Associate
Director
New
York Sea Grant Institute
Physical
Scientist
NASA
Headquarters
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AWIS Partners with USA Science & Engineering Festival
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