AWIS
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ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Washington Wire

 Edited by: Trudy Jackson Bosilovic 

September 2012
Issue I 

Greetings!

 

In response to feedback from you, our members, the AWIS membership card is now available in digital format.

 

View your membership card online in card or certificate size.  Simply go to the AWIS homepage www.awis.org, scroll over the Membership tab, select "Print Membership Card" from the drop-down menu and enter your log in information.  

 

If you have additional ideas on how we can improve your member experience, share your thoughts via [email protected].

 

Best regards,

Erin

____________

Erin DiMenna

AWIS External Relations Manager  

 

In This Issue
Careers
Education
Health
Science and Technology
Work Life Satisfaction
Events
Opportunities
Careers

Contributed by Meghan Mott 

  
Tips for Transitioning Postdocs
According to a 2012 survey conducted by Science Careers, postdoctoral fellows are changing how they rank a successful postdoc experience. While tenure-track positions are scarce and unemployment following a postdoc has risen sharply, employment in alternative careers has doubled since 2010. Survey respondents who obtained academic and alternative positions shared their advice for transitioning out of the postdoc.

Strategies for success

Contributed by Trudy Jackson Bosilovic 

The New American Dream

A survey sponsored by Forbes Women magazine and TheBump.com says that women see staying home to raise children to be the ideal circumstances of motherhood. Even more interesting, about one third of respondents say that they resent their partner for not making enough to money to allow them to realize this dream. Often times women find that being happy and "having-it- all" cause too much pressure.

Happy homemaker

Education

Contributed by Jaqueline Akech 

  
The Value of a Science PhD
The scarcity of academic positions for science PhD graduates remain a concern. However, a recent article suggests that many graduates are aware of the trend, and despite this, they still retain their interest in science but do not pursue an academic position. Many graduates now look to professional positions that value their expertise as scientists across varying disciplines.
 
Alternative science careers

Hit the Books
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's 2012 Education at a Glance report has found that the U.S. lags behind other countries that are increasing attainment levels at a higher rate. The report analyzed the education systems of the 34 OECD member countries in addition to Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. According to the report, higher education attainment levels in the U.S. are growing at a below-average rate compared to other OECD and G20 countries. Between 2000 and 2010, attainment levels in the U.S. increased by an average of 1.3 percentage points annually, while its OECD counterparts boasted a 3.7 percentage-point increase per year overall.

Get smart

Health
Contributed by Lara Kallal
  
The Risk of Ovarian Cancer Screening
New recommendations published in the Annals of Internal Medicine advise women to forgo routine screening for ovarian cancer unless they experience symptoms or have a genetic predisposition. Screening involves the identification of blood proteins that are associated with ovarian cancer, but the same proteins can point to other, less harmful conditions. The high number of false positive results has led to unnecessary surgeries and loss of healthy ovaries.

Take heed

Does "Organic" Truly Mean More Nutritious?

In a meta-analysis from 237 studies, researchers from Stanford University concluded that foods grown organically were, on average, no more nutritious than foods conventionally grown. However, advocates of organic food point to other differences that are likely to be more important to consumers, including the reduced amount of pesticides found in organic foods. Exposure to pesticides has been found to be particularly detrimental to pregnant women and young children.

 

This tomato or that tomato 

 

Science and Technology
Contributed by Demetra Farley
  

Technology Benefits Paralysis Patients

The ReWalk bionic exoskeleton allowed Claire Lomas, paralyzed from the chest down in 2007, to walk in the 2012 London Marathon. Now, Claire has become the first person to receive the ReWalk, previously used only in hospitals during rehabilitation, for daily, at-home use. Argo Medical Technologies, responsible for developing the suit, hopes the system will one day become an affordable mobility alternative for the 6 million wheelchair users in the U.S. and Europe.

 

ReWalk replaces wheelchair 

 

Contributed by Lara Kallal 

 

Women and the Happiness Gene
Researchers have found that low expression of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, resulting in the retention of higher amounts of neurotransmitters in the brain, is linked to reports of higher levels of happiness by women. Interestingly, the same expression levels of this gene have been associated with aggressiveness and antisocial behavior, and similar expression of MAOA in men does not appear to have the same association with happiness.

It's in the genes  

 

Work Life Satisfaction
Contributed by Catherine Moorwood
  
What US Workers Would Give for More Flexibility
The value of flexible working is on the rise. According to a new survey, US employees would give up 10% of their salary for more workplace flexibility; almost double the amount they were willing to give up last year. Most of those surveyed also believed working from home at times would make them more productive.

Employers take note

The Work-Life Satisfaction Issue No One Is Talking About

While discussions on the difficulties of integrating career and parenthood abound, there is little mention of the impact this has on relationships with partners. But when the day is filled with meetings, deadlines and the school run, intimacy can get squeezed out of the schedule.

 

Having it all


AWIS News and Events
AWIS St. Louis Chapter
Event: Work-Life Satisfaction Workshop III with Missouri History Museum's "Underneath it All"
Date: September 15
Time: 9:45AM - 11:30AM     
Register Now
 
AWIS Greater Cincinnati Chapter
Event: First Annual GC AWIS Chapter Picnic
Date: September 16
Time: 3:00PM - 6:00PM
Learn More
     
AWIS STEMiNAR: The State of AWIS - Part 2
Event: Virtual Meeting - The Value of AWIS Members
Date: September 18
Time: 3:00PM - 4:00PM
Register Now

AWIS New York (Metropolitan) Chapter
Event: DOC networking event NYC
Date: September 18
Time: 5:30PM - 9:00PM
Register Now
    
AWIS Philadelphia Chapter
Event: Networking Event
Date: September 18
Time: 6:00PM - 8:30PM
Register Now
    
AWIS West Texas Chapter
Event: Fall Kickoff 2012: ICE CREAM SOCIAL!
Date: September 19
Time: 12:00PM - 2:00PM
Learn More
     
AWIS Massachusetts Chapter
Event: "Financial Rules of Thumb" Workshop
Date: September 19
Time: 6:00PM - 9:00PM
Register Now   

Opportunities
  
2013 AWIS Professional Development Awards
The Educational Awards support travel for professional development, broadly defined. Individuals may request funding to attend a conference, to acquire specialized training, or to pursue professional development in other ways that take them from home. Any woman who works in a STEM discipline and who has earned at least a bachelor's degree is eligible. Individuals may be graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, employed scientists and engineers, or those seeking employment or to return to school. The next application process will open on August 1, 2012 and close September 16, 2012 for travel that starts between December 1, 2012 and April 30, 2013.

Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physical Sciences
The University of Nebraska - Lincoln is bringing together outstanding student researchers in Physics for a three-day conference, from October 18 to October 20, 2012. Attendees will be given the opportunity to expand upon current research experiences, interact with physics students from other universities, and attend scientific talks given by scientists who are leaders in their field. The theme of this year's conference is "The nanoworld is not enough." Undergraduate students with research in all areas of physics, astronomy, or related disciplines are encouraged to attend.

2013 Alan T. Waterman Award Call for Nominations
The Alan T. Waterman Award is the highest honor awarded by the National Science Foundation. The annual award has been bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated exceptional individual achievement in scientific or engineering research of sufficient quality to place them at the forefront of their peers.The annual award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of $1,000,000 over a five year period for scientific research or advanced study in the mathematical, physical, biological, engineering, social or other sciences at the institution of the recipient's choice. Nominations will be accepted from August 1, 2012 to October 31, 2012. Candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, 35 years of age or younger, or not more than seven years beyond receipt of their Ph.D. degree by December 31 of the year in which they are nominated.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program
The National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) helps ti ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity.  The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions.  The NSF welcomes applications from all qualified students and strongly encourages under-represented populations, including women, under-represented racial and ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities, to apply for this fellowship. The deadline for applications are designated by field of study and are as follows: Engineering, Computer and Information Sciences, and Materials Research applications are due November 13; Mathematical Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy applications are due November 14; Social Sciences, Psychology, and STEM Education and Learning applications are due November 16; and Life Sciences and Geosciences applications are due November 19.

The Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Program
The Schlumberger Foundation is accepting applications for the 2013-2014 Faculty for the Future Fellowships. New applications will be accepted from September 10 to November 16, 2012. This program awards fellowships to women from developing and emerging economies to pursue PhD or post-doctoral studies in the physical sciences, engineering and technology at leading universities abroad. The long-term goal of the program is to generate conditions that result in more women pursuing academic careers in scientific disciplines thus contributing to the socio-economic development of their home countries and regions.

Policy Fellowships with the Society for Research in Child Development
SRCD is seeking applications for upcoming Policy Fellowships for 2013-2014. There are two types of Fellowships: Congressional and Executive Branch. Both provide Fellows with exciting opportunities to come to Washington, DC and use their research skills in child development outside of the academic setting to inform public policy. Fellowships are full-time immersion experiences and run from September 1st through August 31st. The application deadline is December 15, 2012. Applicants must have a doctoral-level degree in any relevant discipline (e.g., Ph.D., M.D.), must demonstrate exceptional competence in an area of child development research, and must be a member of SRCD.

Travel Award Program for Early Career Investigators
Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology will offer a limited number of travel awards to early career investigators at the Assistant Professor or equivalent industry scientist level. At times researchers find that attending a Keystone Symposia meeting might substantially further a current research project or assist in problem solving around a particular experimental issue. These travel awards are specifically designed to address this situation. The emphasis is on URM scientists who are pursuing research careers. The application process is open for all meetings between now and February 28, 2013. However, the awards will be made upon review, on a first come basis.

Association for Women in Mathematics Biennial Research Symposium
AWM Research Symposium 2013 will be held at Santa Clara University March 16 -17, 2013. The symposium, the initial event in the series, will showcase the research of women in the mathematical professions. It will feature three plenary talks, special sessions on a broad range of topics in pure and applied mathematics, poster sessions for graduate students, and a panel discussion of the "imposter syndrome." The topics for the special sessions will include Algebraic Combinatorics, Climate Modeling,
Geometric Group Theory, Model Theory (in honor of
Carol Wood), Mathematics of Medicine, Random Matrix Theory, Combinatorial Optimization, Partial Differential Equations and others.

Opportunity for Scientists to Collaborate with European Colleagues
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the European Commission (EC) signed an Implementing Arrangement to provide opportunities for NSF-funded early career scientists and engineers to pursue research collaborations with European colleagues supported through the European Research Council (ERC) awards.  The ERC will identify researchers wishing to host NSF funded investigators, and NSF will solicit proposals from its CAREER awardees and Postdoctoral Research Fellows for these potential collaborative opportunities. This agreement will allow US scientists to be incorporated in the ERC-funded teams and will be supported as any other ERC team members. NSF will cover travel costs for the US scientists. NSF will release further details through an upcoming Dear Colleague Letter.

ADVANCE Program Solicitation
NSF ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers (ADVANCE) is accepting proposals for projects that develop systemic approaches to increase the representation and advancement of women in academic STEM careers, thereby contributing to the development of a more diverse science and engineering workforce.

Marie Curie Fellowship
Have you ever wanted to do research in Europe? Apply for a Marie Curie Fellowship. The goal of the Marie Curie Fellowship is to strengthen the human potential in research and technology by stimulating people to enter into the profession of research and attracting researchers from the entire world to Europe. This Fellowship addresses researchers at all stages of their careers, in the public and private sectors, from initial research training, specifically intended for young people, to lifelong learning and career development. Proposals are welcomed from all areas of scientific and technological research and the fellowship covers your salary plus your research expenses. To apply, you must have either a doctoral degree or at least 4 years' full-time equivalent research experience, after obtaining a degree permitting you to embark on a doctorate.

Small Business Postdoctoral Research Diversity Fellowship
The Small Business Postdoctoral Research Diversity Fellowship program aims to encourage creative and highly-trained recipients of doctoral degrees in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematical disciplines to engage in hands-on research projects in their areas of expertise at the kind of small innovative businesses that historically have fueled the nation's economic regime. This fellowship program offers small businesses the opportunity to attract top scientific and technological talent at a fraction of the usual cost, while recruiting postdoctoral fellows to work for at least a year outside an academic setting on cutting-edge research aimed at promoting scientific excellence and strengthening our nation's technological prowess. Each research fellow will receive a stipend of at least $75,000 plus health insurance benefits.

NSF's Career-Life Balance (CLB) Initiative
Scientists now have the opportunity to submit supplemental funding requests to support additional personnel (e.g., research technicians or equivalent). This will help sustain research when the Principal Investigator is on family leave. In FY 2012, up to 3 months of salary support may be requested (for a maximum of $12,000 in salary compensation) by CAREER awardees.
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AWIS Member Spotlight
Joan Steitz, PhD

Joan Steitz, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, was awarded the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize of Rockefeller University and the the 2012 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science for her work with RNA and her commitment to advancing the careers of women scientists.

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