AWIS
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ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Washington Wire

 Edited by: Trudy Jackson Bosilovic

March 2013
Issue I

Greetings!   

   

AWIS is proud to partner with the Society of Women Engineers for Capitol Hill Day 2013 on March 20 in Washington, DC.

Advocacy activities are an important benefit of your membership.  Be sure to read your monthly issue of AWIS in Action! for updates on legislation impacting your funding, family-friendly leave policies, and much more.
 

Best Regards,

Janet Koster

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

Contributed by Meghan Mott & Trudy Jackson Bosilovic

 

8 LinkedIn Mistakes to Avoid

Research shows that LinkedIn is useful for landing higher-paying jobs through informal recruitment. If you are in the market for a new job, optimize your profile to attract viewers by avoiding these common mistakes. Make sure to include a picture in your profile, write a summary, update your status, and customize your connection requests. Get noticed!

 

Selling yourself successfully

 

6 Tips for Surviving a Postdoc

For young scientists, a postdoc is the first step toward an independent academic career. Unfortunately, postdocs often struggle during this time as they juggle intense professional demands and increased responsibilities at home. The keys to success in a postdoc come down to maintaining an optimistic outlook in the face of adversity, remaining flexible, building a supportive professional network, and prioritizing happiness.

 

Early-career advice

Education

Contributed by Jacqueline Akech & Liz Ragland

 

NSF Report: Diversity in Science and Engineering

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released its biennial report entitled "Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering". This report provides a collection of data focused on the participation of underrepresented minorities in science and engineering education and employment in the United States.  Although Bachelors and Masters STEM student enrollment continues to grow steadily, the number of Doctorate degrees remains unchanged.

 

Calling on Diversity

 

The Sequestration Effect on Research and Education

A recent announcement to sequester the federal budget promises to create a dismal outlook for University Research Programs.  The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) both intend to reduce the number of grant awards for fiscal year 2013.  These substantial cuts will inevitably hamper current and future innovation in Science and Technology.

 

No Funding More Problems

Health
Contributed by Lauren Kallel

Heart Attack Symptoms: Difference between Men and Women

Historically, research on cardiac disease has been conducted mostly on men. As a result, women experiencing heart attacks often have delays in treatment because their symptoms differ from men's. Such symptoms range from unprovoked feelings of anxiety and sleep apnea and underscore some of the differences in physiology between men's and women's hearts.

 

Healthy heart

               

 

New Pap Screening Guidelines Effective for Cancer Detection?

New guidelines for cervical cancer screening were adopted in 2012 and include, in general, three years between Pap screenings for women exhibiting normal tests. However, a recent study examining women diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the cervix found that in many cases, the time between an abnormal Pap result and diagnosis of the cancer was around two years.

 

Considerations for cancer

Science and Technology
Contributed by Demetra Farley

 

What Causes a Sinkhole?

After a sinkhole suddenly opened underneath a Florida man's bedroom, many have been left wondering exactly what causes the natural depressions to form. Rare geological occurrences, sinkholes are the result of pliable layers of shifting limestone underneath the Earth's surface. Similar in composition to chalk, the soft underground rock breaks away after continuous exposure to rainwater and carbon dioxide, causing the Earth above it to cave in.

 

Science behind the sinkhole

 

Nature takes on Gender Inequality

In memory of former editor Dr. Maxine Clarke, an advocate for women's equality, Nature journal focuses its attention this month to the problem of gender bias in science. From several varying viewpoints, the journal highlights inequities in salary, tenure, and grant retrieval, and explores ways to close the gender gap in academia.

 

Where are the women?

Work Life Satisfaction
Contributed by Moorwood

Work-Related Stress Hits Women Harder

A new survey by the American Psychological Association finds that women are more likely to feel tense during a typical workday. Additionally, more women than men feel that their employers don't appreciate their work and that they are not provided sufficient compensation or opportunities for advancement.

 

His and hers

 

The New Definition of Success

Most people no longer define career success by salary or recognition, a new study has found. Instead, the number one factor by which women and men determine whether they have a successful career is work-life balance.

 

Success re-defined

Events

MARCH 15

AWIS STEMiNAR Series: Connect to the Success in your DNA

Virtual Webinar

 

AWIS at National Postdoctoral Association Annual Meeting

Negotiating for Equal Pay in the Postdoctoral Community and Beyond

 

AWIS NY Metropolitan Chapter

Career Paths beyond the PhD: A Panel Discussion

 

MARCH 16

AWIS Los Angeles/Ventura County Chapter

Self Defense Seminar

 

MARCH 18

AWIS and Middle Tennessee State University

AWIS Work-Life Satisfaction and Mentoring Workshops

 

MARCH 20

AWIS San Diego Chapter

Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair Judging Day

 

AWIS Greater Cincinnati Chapter

General Meeting

 

AWIS Massachusetts Chapter

WAGE Workshop with Evelyn Murphy

 

AWIS Seattle Chapter

The RANK/RANKL/OPG Pathway: From Discovery to Drug

 

MARCH 21

AWIS San Diego Chapter

Coffee Club - Mid Career (Members Only)

 

AWIS University of Michigan Chapter

Empowerment Skills Workshop Series

 

AWIS Chapters Leaders: Effective Fundraising Tips

Virtual Webinar

 

AWIS San Diego Chapter

San Diego Business Women's Mega Mixer

 

AWIS Philadelphia Chapter

Book Discussion: The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women

 

MARCH 22

AWIS San Diego Chapter

Coffee Club - Working Moms (Members Only)

 

AWIS STEMiNAR Series: Being Your Best - Leadership from the Inside Out

Virtual Webinar

 

MARCH 23

AWIS San Diego Chapter

San Diego Science Festival - Expo Day

 

MARCH 26

AWIS at Genentech

Improving Work-Life Satisfaction Program

 

AWIS Greater Cincinnati Chapter

Making Meetings Matter

 

MARCH 28

AWIS East Bay Chapter

WIPO Re:Search - Sharing Innovation in the Fight Against Neglected Diseases

 

MARCH 30

AWIS Northwestern Ohio Chapter

Family Day for NWO AWIS Members

 

AWIS NY Metropolitan Chapter

NY Metro AWIS Book club

Opportunities

Presidential Innovation Fellows

The Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program pairs top innovators from the private sector, non-profits, and academia with top innovators in government to collaborate during focused 6-12 month "tours of duty" to develop solutions that can save lives, save taxpayer money, and fuel job creation.    

 

AGU recognizes a compelling need to promote diversity and increase nominations in our Honors Program.  Diversity in the way we award and recognize our members demonstrates the Union's commitment to equity.  Success cannot be achieved without your help and cooperation. 

 

Have you ever thought of ways to improve STEM graduate education? Do you have a creative idea regarding graduate training? If so, NSF wants to hear from you!

 

AWIS Chapter Mini-Grants  

AWIS Chapter Mini-Grants are available to support chapter initiatives focused on increasing membership recruitment and retention. Applications are due at least 30 days in advance of the date of the event. Applications will be considered on a quarterly basis and are due no later than March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31.  

 

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.

 

2013 Alma Dea Morani, M.D. Renaissance Woman Award  

The Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine is currently accepting nominations for the 2013 Alma Dea Morani, M.D. Renaissance Woman Award. This award will honor an outstanding woman physician or scientist in North America who has advanced the practice and understanding of medicine in our lifetime. Deadline for electronic submission of nominations is April 1, 2013.    

 

2012-13 AWIS Star Chapter Award  

The AWIS Star Chapter Award honors those chapters who have accomplished many of the key objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan. The award encourages chapters to perform specific activities designed to ensure that women in STEM fields are able to achieve their full potential.      

ADVANCE Program Solicitation   

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. 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. 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.

 

Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics

The Summer Institute for Training in Biostatistics (SIBS) offers a comprehensive six to seven week summer training course on biostatistics with relevant examples that include data collected in studies of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders. 

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Volunteer Spotlight
   

Katy Korsmeyer, PhD is the President and Executive Director of Bay Area Biotechnology Education Consortium and Program Director of Santa Clara County Biotechnology Education Partnership. As an AWIS volunteer, she serves on the Chapter's Committee. 

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