AWIS
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ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Washington Wire

 Edited by: Trudy Jackson Bosilovic


April 2013
Issue I

Greetings!   

   
To mark Equal Pay Day on April 9, AWIS published an article on the Huffington Post blog. The piece, Investing in Women in STEM: Because Girls Grow Up, was authored by our Phoebe S. Leboy Public Policy Fellow, Dr. Erin Cadwalader. This article highlights the continuing wage gap for women in STEM and shines a light on the opportunity cost of failing to retain women in their fields.

 

As the leading voice in public policy for women in STEM, AWIS has been working for 42 years to close the pay gap in these disciplines. To find more information about this policy initiative and the many other ways we advocate on your behalf, visit our website.   

 

Best Regards,

Janet Koster  

In This Issue
Careers
Education
Health
Science and Technology
Work Life Satisfaction
Events
Opportunities
Careers
Contributed by Meghan Mott   

 

3 Strategies for Dealing with Stress

 

Research shows that we spend 85% of our time worrying. Doubt, distraction, and fear prevent us from reaching our goals. Breaking this cycle is possible through mindful management. Achieving career success can be as easy as simply letting go. Learn to manage your stress by first acknowledging it. Breathe deep, learn to focus, and take control of the moment.

 

Steer your career

 

Developing Your Personal Brand

 

Defining yourself as a leader is essential for the advancement of your career. Personal branding isn't shameless self-promotion; it's making the commitment to advance yourself by serving others. This requires a tremendous amount of self-awareness, action, and accountability. Setting a consistent standard of expectation helps you demonstrate an executive presence and be a better leader.

 

Advance quickly

Education

Contributed by Demetra Farley 

 

Next Generation Science Standards

 

Educators have unveiled new guidelines that recommended changes in the way science is taught in the United States.  Some of the changes include the requirements that climate change be taught in middle schools, education on evolution and hands on experiment driven science education.  They were developed by a consortium of 26 state governments and several groups representing scientists and teachers.

 

The new guide!

 

Increasing Field Experiences in Science and Math Education

 

Many graduate education programs are highlighting initiatives focused at exposing future educators to hands on experiences.  For example, the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship is a two-year master's program that recruits STEM college graduates and puts them in the field to prepare them for teaching in high need schools. The Teacher Education Program at Stanford University on the other hand, prepares graduates in fostering analytical and problem solving approaches.

 

Hands on experience!

Health
Contributed by Lara Kallel

A New Tool for Alzheimer's Research

 

Most scientific strategies examining disease pathologies use animals to model the symptoms to assist in designing proper therapies. A new transgenic rat model was just published in the Journal of Neuroscience that recapitulates the brain changes that occur during Alzheimer's disease. Although animal models are not perfect, such close replication of human disease represents a promising tool for both understanding Alzheimer's and potential drugs to treat the disease.

 

Rats working for you


Calcium Supplement Controversy

 

Post-menopausal women are often advised to take calcium supplements to help prevent the bone loss that occurs with age. Recent studies, however, have revisited the benefits of supplement use and found little evidence that they prevent fractures. More disturbingly, the use of calcium supplements has been linked with an increased risk of heart attacks.

 

Got milk?

Science and Technology
Contributed by Demetra Farley

 

HeLa Cell Genome Sequenced

 

The HeLa cell, a uterine cancer-derived immortal cell line from patient Henrietta Lacks, is the most widely used cancer cell in scientific research. Until recently, however, little was known about the complete genetic makeup of the renowned cell line. In a new article published in G3: Gene, Genomes, and Genetics, European Molecular Biology Laboratory scientists reported the sequencing of the entire HeLa genome. The complex mutational detail revealed through this work should help refine the use of HeLa cells as a truly accurate model of disease.

 


Sequester hard-hitting for cancer patients

 

The sequester, a series of budget cuts enacted after Congress failed to agree on a spending plan early this year, is wreaking havoc for some chemotherapy patients. An unexpected outcome of the budget cuts, several cancer clinics have been forced to refuse treatment for cancer patients covered under Medicare Part B. With no end to the sequester in sight, effective therapy for patients has been halted indefinitely.

 

Patients in limbo

Work Life Satisfaction
Contributed by Catherine Moorwood

What Women Are Saying About Work-Life Satisfaction

 

This piece features a slideshow of contrasting points of view gathered from recent debates on work life integration. Among those quoted are high profile women such as Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg and Michelle Obama.

 

Say what?

 

Anne-Marie Slaughter on Fixing the Work-Life Balance Problem

 

Slaughter says we need to stop identifying work-family conflicts as women's issues. Instead of thinking about male and female roles, we should think about breadwinner and caregiver responsibilities. Employers need to build workplaces that support people who are combining both of these roles, rather than expecting couples to identify one partner as the breadwinner and one as the caregiver.

 

Role redistribution

Events

APRIL 16

AWIS Massachusetts Chapter

Alternative Careers in Science

             

APRIL 17

AWIS STEMiNAR Series: Time Management and Productivity

virtual eLearning webinar

 

AWIS DC Chapter

A Discussion on the UN Commission on the Status of Women

 

AWIS Philadelphia

The New National Lab: Citizen Science

 

AWIS Seattle Chapter

Panel Discussion: Careers in Academics

 

AWIS Palo Alto Chapter

             

APRIL 19

AWIS Northwestern Ohio Chapter

Spring Celebration

 

AWIS and University of Delaware

Improving Work-Life Satisfaction

 

AWIS Chicago Chapter

From Bench to Broadcast: Experiences as a Science Advisor

             

APRIL 20

AWIS West Virginia Chapter

Expanding Your Horizons

 

APRIL 23

AWIS STEMiNAR Series: Bouncing Back...Career Strategies for Increased Resilience

Virtual e-Learning Webinar

 

APRIL 23

AWIS Greater Cincinnati Chapter

Strategies to Maximize Your Personal Effectiveness

 

APRIL 26

AWIS STEMiNAR: Career Opportunities in Clinical Research

Virtual e-Learning Webinar

 

APRIL 29

AWIS Inland Empire Chapter

AWIS-IE Career Panel

Opportunities

Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology

The Prize is awarded annually to one young scientist for the most outstanding neurobiological research based on methods of molecular and cell biology conducted by him/her during the past three years.

Prize money: US$25,000 Next application deadline: June 15, 2013

 

Elsevier Awards for Early-Career Woman Scientists in the Developing World  Candidates must be female early-career scientists (within ten years of earning their PhD degree). At nomination, candidates must have lived and worked for at least three years in one of the countries listed in the nomination form

 

C3E Awards
Recognizing mid-career level women in clean energy. $10,000 awards in six categories. 

The APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research and Education ("ASPIRE") is an annual award to recognize young scientists who have demonstrated a commitment to both excellence in scientific research, as evidenced by scholarly publication, and cooperation with scientists from other APEC member economies.  

 

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.    

 

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!

 

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.

 

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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Quick Links
 Sofja Kovalevskaja Award
   
Spend five years in Germany working on a high-profile, innovative research project of your own choice in Germany.

The award is valued
at 1.65 mil EUR.

 

Volunteer Spotlight
   

Kendra Rumbaugh, PhD is an Associate Professor 

at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

 As an AWIS volunteer, she serves on the Chapter's Committee. 

Featured Jobs
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