Washington Wire
Edited by Trudy Bosilovic, MS
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A big thank you to our colleagues at the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) who are once again offering AWIS members a great deal to join, network, and learn at their Annual Conference for Women Engineers (WE13). WE13 will be held in Baltimore, MD from October 24-26, 2013. As an AWIS member, you will receive the SWE member conference rate. Just send me an email at awis@awis.org to receive your exclusive AWIS discount code.
For more information about WE13, visit http://we13.swe.org/
I look forward to seeing you in Baltimore.
Best Regards,
Janet Bandows Koster
Executive Director & CEO
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 Careers |
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Contributed by Meghan Mott, PhD
Dramatic Shifts in Academic Faculty Retirement
A new study finds that older, established academics are hanging onto their positions well past traditional retirement age. Before 1993, when most universities enforced mandatory retirement at age 70, only 11% of academic faculty were 70 or older. A change in federal law ended mandatory retirement, and today it's estimated that 75% of faculty will stick around into their 70s and beyond.
Senior faculty surge
6 Signs You're Over-worked
Do you pride yourself on being a workaholic? Beyond safeguarding career success, working too hard can be harmful for your body. Stress may lead to excess belly fat, blotchy skin, and an addiction to dangerously high levels of caffeine. Bleeding gums, heartburn, and muscle aches are also byproducts of being over-worked. As you climb the career ladder, don't lose sight of what's most important-your health.
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Contributed by Trudy Bosilovic, MS
Higher Education Act in Congress
Congress is considering re-writing the Higher Education Act. In response to a feedback deadline given by the U.S. House of Representatives education committee, higher education groups have flooded Congress with a wish list of changes. Of particular concern were programs like the Pell Grant, work study, and funds for minority institutions.
Faculty Warning: Tweet With Caution
Evolutionary Psychology professor, Dr. Geoffrey Miller (University of New Mexico [UNM]), was the author of the now-infamous tweet, "Dear obese PhD applicants: if you don't have the willpower to stop eating carbs, you won't have the willpower to do a dissertation. #truth." He may have deleted the tweet, but that didn't stop UNM from formally censuring Dr. Miller. The censure penalty restricts Dr. Miller in several ways, including being forever barred from making admissions decision for graduate students.
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Save the Date!
AWIS Professional
Development Series
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University of Pennsylvania
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NERL)
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Member Spotlight
Jo Handelsman, PhD
Congratulations to
Dr. Jo Handelsman (AWIS Member since 2004), who was recently nominated by
President Barack Obama to serve as the Associate Director for Science at the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In this position, Dr. Handelsman will advise the President on the impact of science on both international and domestic affairs.
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 Science and Technology |
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Contributed by Demetra Farley, DrPH
Lab Gaffe Produces Mysterious Upsalite
A team of scientists from Uppsala University in Sweden have reported the manufacture of a porous magnesium carbonate, once thought impossible to synthesize artificially. The product, called Upsalite, was created accidentally using a strategy that had failed repeatedly in other laboratories. The extremely reactive material is likely to become popular in the pharmaceutical setting where it could serve as an improved drug delivery mechanism.
Scientists create not-so-impossible material
"Cloned" Beef Gets First Taste
In an attempt to curb an ever-growing global food crisis, scientists from Maastricht University in the Netherlands have successfully developed beef product borne from the stem cells of cattle. After several years of research, the laboratory beef has drawn its first critiques with surprisingly positive reviews. The patty's major drawback? Its $330,000 price tag!
Lab-grown beef hits the spot
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 Work-Life Satisfaction |
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Contributed by Catherine Moorwood, PhD
The Price of Opting Out
A decade ago, a trend emerged for well-off women in high-powered jobs to quit work and stay at home with their children. Now, these women share their stories of the benefits and costs of their decisions, including the effect on their self-confidence, relationship dynamics, and ability to re-enter the workplace.
Working it out
Work-Life Integration Still Tough in Academia
A new book of essays by women academics highlights the huge difficulties still inherent in combining professorship with parenting. Their stories include examples of institutional rigidity, sexist comments from coworkers, and the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding between classes.
Moms in the ivory tower
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 Health |
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Contributed by Lara Kallal, PhD
Harmful Effects of BPA on Fertility
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical found in many plastics and has been implicated in causing adverse health effects. In the first study using human eggs, BPA was shown to impair maturation of the eggs by 50% at the lowest dose assessed. The study potentially sheds light on unexplained fertility problems in many couples.
BPA danger Autistic Brain is Different between Males and FemalesAutism is more prevalent in males than females. A study recently published in Brain found that autism affects the brains of females differently than those of males. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a "masculinization" of the autistic female brain. An understanding of how autism manifests differently between males and females will contribute to a further understanding of the causes of the disorder.
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 Events |
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AUGUST 16
AWIS Central Ohio Chapter
AUGUST 18
AWIS Massachusetts Chapter
AUGUST 30
AWIS Central Ohio Chapter
SEPTEMBER 6
AWIS Central Ohio Chapter
AWIS Los Angeles Ventura County Chapter
SEPTEMBER 15
AWIS Greater Cincinnati Chapter
SEPTEMBER 17
AWIS Philadelphia Chapter
OCTOBER 7
AWIS San Diego Chapter
OCTOBER 25
AWIS Cincinnati Chapter
NOVEMBER 13-15
Gender Summit 3
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 Opportunities |
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Science and SciLife Lab Prize for Young Scientists
The journal Science and SciLifeLab have come together to recognize and celebrate excellence in Ph.D. research. The Science and SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists has been established to support young scientists at the start of their career. The grand prize winner of this major global award will have their paper published in the journal Science and receive $25,000. The application deadline is August 15, 2013, and prizes will be presented in Stockholm, Sweden in the middle of December 2013.
BWF's Career Awards at the Scientific Interface provide $500,000 to bridge advanced postdoctoral training and the first three years of faculty service. Application deadline September 3, 2013 by 4PM EDT.
German Chancellor Fellowship for Prospective Leaders
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a non-profit foundation of the Federal Republic of Germany designed to promote international cooperation in research. The German Chancellor Fellowship For Prospective Leaders gives up to 50 highly talented young professionals from Brazil, China, India, Russia and the USA the opportunity to spend a year in Germany and implement a project of their choice in cooperation with German hosts. Application deadline is September 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 3 years in one of the countries listed in the nomination form. The nomination deadline is September 15, 2013.
2014 Alan T. Waterman Award
This is the highest honor bestowed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and has recognized outstanding young researchers (within 7 years of receiving the PhD or younger than 36) since 1976. And you can't win if you don't get yourself nominated. Nominations deadline is October 25, 2013.
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.
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.
AWIS Chapter Mini-Grants
AWIS Chapter Mini-Grants are available to support chapter initiatives focused on membership recruitment and retention. Applications following the guidelines are considered on a quarterly basis with the next due September 30, 2013.
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