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Greetings!
Help us recognize Equal Pay Day on April 12! Despite gains in education and the workforce, women still earn 1/3 less than their male counterparts on average, for doing the same job with the same qualifications.
In Washington DC, we're partnering with SWE on Capital Hill Days and will visit Congress to encourage them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. AWIS is also a coalition partner with the National Committee on Pay Equity and local activists around the country are planning rallies, lobby days, speak-outs, letter-writing campaigns, workshops, and meetings with employers, policy-makers, and enforcement agencies to promote effective solutions for closing the wage gap. Check out activities in your local area...and if you participate, send us your pictures to include on our website!
It's time women get equal pay for equal work!
Janet
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Janet Bandows Koster
AWIS Executive Director |
| Education | |
Contributed by Beth Rose
Gender Equality at MIT: Twelve Years of Steady Improvements
12 years ago, the cat was let out of the bag-a study revealed that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discriminated against female professors in "subtle but pervasive" ways. This rare acknowledgement by university officials led MIT and other academic institutions to make major changes. Now, after more than a decade, a follow up study reveals that major positive advances have been made for women faculty at MIT.
MIT makeover
164 Scientific Concepts You Can't do Without
Harvard academic Steven Pinker recently posed a tricky question: Which scientific concepts would be most useful additions to a layman's cognitive tool kit? A symposium was promptly organized, and 164 top linguists, computer geeks, neuroscientists and philosophers offered their tips for regular folks. "We'd certainly be better off if everyone sampled the fabulous ... symposium, which, like the best in science, is modest and daring all at once," notes David Brooks.
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| Careers | |
Work for a Woman
Women thrive in companies led by women and tend to climb the career ladder far more effectively when there are already women on the boards or in the C-suites of the companies they work for, says David Matsa of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. That's probably because female business leaders tend to champion and mentor women in a way that male bosses are reluctant to emulate.
French Feminist Runs Major Nuclear Power Company
As chief of France's state-owned nuclear giant, Areva, Anne Lauvergeon -- better known as "Atomic Anne" -- is a feminist icon and one of Europe's best-known executives. Lauvergeon's leadership style is spectacularly undeferential, and it has brought her into conflict with other nuclear-sector bosses and with French government officials, who recently enacted a law that appeared tailored to get rid of her.
Can she hold on? |
| Science and Health | |
Science Uses Art Tool to ID Drug Colors
Removing the human bias from color identification enhances safety in drug production. Discoloration of a substance can be a sign of degradation or the presence of impurities. And the difference might be as minor as beige versus sand.
Chemicals in Plastics Linked to Early Onset Menopause
Man-made chemicals found in a variety of everyday products - from food containers to clothes - may be causing early menopause in women, say scientists. The study of almost 26000 women, to be published in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, found higher levels of PFCs were associated with increased odds of having experienced menopause in women between 42 to 64.
Beware of PFCs
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| Work Life Satisfaction | |
Contributed by Beth Rose
Recovering from Postdoc MistakesIs your postdoc position not going exactly according to your master plan? Are you worried that maybe you've torpedoed your own career with one or two wrong decisions? If so, don't freak out! Author Alaina Levine outlines a number of ways to recover from potential mistakes in this Science Careers article. Common mistakes she discusses include taking a job out of a feeling of desperation rather than really finding out if the lab is a good fit for you, choosing a bad mentor, staying too long in a postdoc position, and not having a clear career plan. With the use of interviews with scientists who made these mistakes, Levine offers advice as to how to avoid such pitfalls. Most importantly, she and others point out that you can refocus and make the changes needed to get your career back on track. Recovery position
How to Ignore Naysayers' Discouraging Comments
Negative comments about your business and the way you're running it from those close to you can quickly sap your confidence and enthusiasm. Gladys Edmunds reminds business owners to pay little heed to those who try to deter them from their goals. "Thank them for sharing, but keep moving in the direction of your choice."
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| AWIS News and Events |
AWIS Metropolitan New York ChapterEvent: Women's Health: Science, Technology and Society Date: April 2 Register Now
AWIS Metropolitan New York Chapter
Event: Future Women in Science
Date: April 2 - May 7
Time: 9:00AM - 12:00PM
AWIS Massachusetts ChapterEvent: Assertiveness As Active Engagement Date: April 6 Time: 5:30PM - 9:00PM Register Now AWIS Bethesda ChapterEvent: 2010-2011 Eighteenth Annual Seminar Series Date: April 7 Time: 5:00PM - 6:00PM Register Now
AWIS Northwestern Ohio ChapterEvent: Spring Meeting Date: April 8 Time: 12:00PM - 2:00PM Register Now
AWIS Los Angeles/Ventura County ChapterEvent: Solstice Canyon Hike Date: April 9 Time: 11:00AM - 3:00PM Register Now
AWIS and EB2011The importance of mentoring in balancing work/family responsibilities Date: April 10 Time: 9:55AM - 2:35PM Learn More
AWIS STEMiNAR: Career Development SeriesEvent: Ace the Interview Webinar Date: April 12 Time: 11:00AM - 12:00PM Register Now |
| Opportunities | |
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Christopher Columbus Foundation present the Fourth Annual Life Sciences Awards to recognize, through seven monetary awards, an adult scientist and provide research funds; three current secondary school educators; and three current secondary school students who are judged to exemplify excellence in life sciences.
All Nominations are accepted online only. The deadline for 2011 Nominations is Tuesday, April 5, 2011. Any questions related to the competition may be directed to Judi Shellenberger, Executive Director of the Foundation at (315) 258-0090.
The University of Toledo Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women presents a workshop titled "When and Where I Enter...Unlocking the Door for Women of Color in STEMM" in Toledo, Ohio August 10-12, 2011.
Participants should be doctoral students in the final stages of their programs, currently active postdocs or those in a career break after a PhD, or early career scientists considering a career in the academy regardless of their current place of employment. Dual career couples are invited to apply as well. The application is due May 15, 2011.
The Lupus Research Institute invites applications for Research Grants for novel approaches to Lupus. Grants of up to $100,000 will be given to established and new investigators working on basic, translational, or clinical research of lupus erythematosus. Deadline: May 27, 2011.
The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is accepting applications for two new research fellowships:
The EERE Postdoctoral Fellowships support its mission in energy efficiency and renewable energy by offering recent Ph.D. recipients the opportunity to conduct applied research at universities, national laboratories, and other research facilities. Application deadline is June 30, 2011.
The EERE Science and Technology Policy (STP) Fellowships will serve as the next step in the educational and professional development of scientists and engineers interested in energy efficiency and renewable energy policy. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. |
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| Featured Jobs | | |
The City University
of New York
University of Cincinnati Raymond Walters College
MCG/UGA Medical Partnership Campus
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AWIS Fellow Spotlight | |
AWIS honors Dr. Phoebe Leboy as a 2010 AWIS Fellow. For 40 years, she has highlighted inequities faced by women in the STEM disciplines and worked diligently and successfully to reduce them.
Read the Press Release
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AWIS
Sustaining Member Spotlight | |
AWIS congratulates Dr. Elaine Fuchs of Rockefeller University in New York City who has been awarded the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the largest award in medicine and science in the United States. Dr. Fuchs is honored for her work on the biology of stem cells which have led her laboratory to the genetic bases of human skin disorders, including cancer.
Read the Press Release
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AWIS Volunteer Spotlight | |
Thank you to the many AWIS members who posted a review of AWIS on the peer review website GreatNonprofits.
Here's some of what they had to say:
...great networking experiences!
...an invaluable resource.
...one of the most useful professional organizations to which I belong.
...life-changing.
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| 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 activities of the National Office and the Executive Board.
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