Washington Wire 
Edited by Rachel Britt, PhD
Issue II January 2014
Greetings!,
  

If you were watching the state of the union this week you know that women were a cornerstone of the speech. 

 

Whether you caught the speech or not, our always insightful Public Policy Fellow, Erin Cadwalader, has written a response on our blog that I recommend reading. Hopefully gender equity will get a place on this year's political agenda.

 

After all, "when women succeed, America succeeds".

 

Best Regards,

 

Janet Bandows Koster

Executive Director & CEO

 

P.S. Data from an AWIS study on work-life integration was included in a Forbes article last week Read the article here.

 Careers
Contributed by Ramya Natarajan, PhD
 
Dos and Don'ts of Academic Job Searches 
Preparing an application for an academic job can be a daunting task. Add to that the stress of following the proper etiquette during each step of the process since it is equally important to apply, interview, follow-up, and accept jobs in an appropriate manner. Here are helpful tips from an academic administrator to navigate various hiring predicaments.
→ Avoid etiquette pitfalls
 
What Successful People Do Before 8 AM 
You may have already heard that early rising is a common trait among many CEOs, top government officials, and other influential leaders. Did you also know that research shows morning people are more optimistic, proactive, and productive; thereby, achieving greater professional success? Take a look at the morning rituals of these successful people and see if you're ready to embrace the morning.
→ Productive mornings
 
How to Stop Feeling Overcommitted and Overwhelmed 
As January comes to an end, you've probably finishing up your list of career-related resolutions for 2014.  But with so many daily commitments at work, how do you stay on track to achieve those resolutions? Try paring down your day-to-day commitments so you can focus on your most important career goals.
→ Control your commitments
  Education

 

 

Contributed by Rachel Britt, PhD

 

Building Up STEAM

To bridge the divide between abstract idea and utility, some educators suggest expanding STEM to encompass art and design (becoming STEAM). The hope is to give students an opportunity to experience science concepts and wrestle with their implications in a hands-on, creative fashion. Even Sesame Street is getting in on the action, integrating art into their STEM programming to show how STEAM can be used to solve problems.

→ STEAM powered

 

500,000 Students Learn to Code Online

Code.org, a non-profit with a mission to engage kids' interest in coding, has created a new 20-hour introduction to computer science class. Just one month into the launch, enough teachers had signed up to use the course with their students that the total reach of the course may extend to 500,000 kindergarten-8th grade students. This new program comes on the heels of Code.org's "Hour of Code" program that encouraged kids, many of them girls, to spend an hour learning to code.

→ Spreading computer science 

 Science and Technology

Contributed by Shabnum Patel

 

Contact Lenses to Measure Glucose Levels

Google is currently developing smart contact lenses that use diabetics' tears to measure glucose levels. The contact lenses contain miniscule wireless chips and glucose sensors that are able to measure levels once per second. Google is running clinical trials and is conducting talks with the FDA to provide diabetics with an alternative to pin pricks and blood swabs.

→ A diabetic's dream

 

General Motors Hires Female CEO

General Motors has hired Mary Barra as CEO, to lead the automaker back to success. Barra has been with GM for over 30 years and her appointment marks a milestone, as she becomes the first woman CEO of an automaker. Barra, who has both engineering and business degrees, hopes to serve as a role model for young women interested in these male-dominated fields.

 Paving the path

 

Breast Cancer Prevention with Olive Oil?

Hydroxytyrosol, a component of olive oil, is the focus of a clinical study in women who have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Olive oil has been associated with many health benefits including lowering the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. This study looks at changes in breast density, as this has been linked to breast cancer risk. The study hopes to find a supplement that can help women lower their risk of developing breast cancer.

 → Can olive oil lower your risk?

Member Profile  
Member Level 
Expires
______________
 

2014 AWIS Winter Webinar Series

 

February 5, 2014

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

 

"Interdisciplinary Mentoring in Science"

 

February 11, 2014

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

 

"Learning to Lead (Part One): Nuts and Bolts of Leadership"

 

February 25, 2014

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

 

"Strategies to Retain Mid-Career Female Scientists"

 

March 5, 2014

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

 

 
 
  
_____________________

Featured Jobs
     
Member Spotlight
 

Sandra C. Greer, PhD

Professor of Chemistry, Mills College

AWIS Member since 2001

  

Congratulations to AWIS member, Professor Sandra C. Greer, PhD who received this year's ACS Award For Encouraging Women Into Careers In The Chemical Sciences!

 

Greer says she is pleased to be recognized with this year's ACS award. "I have been motivated both by the need for science to have contributors from as many perspectives and mind-sets as possible, and by the need for every woman to have every opportunity to realize her own potential," Greer says. "Science needs women, and women need science."

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 Work-Life Satisfaction
 

Contributed by Becky Mercer, PhD

 

Career Versus Family: 7 Steps to Harmony

In a recent blog on Success.com, Mike Zimmerman interviewed Al Roker (NBC weatherman and co-host) and Deborah Roberts (ABC journalist) offer advice for creating harmony in your personal relationships when you have a demanding career. Tips included prioritizing childcare, ���being opportunistic about your time, remembering why the relationship is important to you, identifying shared values and goals, and having fun.

→ Learning to juggle

 

3 Time Management Steps to Improve Your Body and Your Career

Managing time is difficult. Eliminating "half work" (when you're not really working but checking email or reading news), doing the most important tasks first, and sticking to a schedule all can give you more time to focus on your health and well-being.

→ Manage your time, manage your stress 

 Health 
 

Contributed by Jaime Smith, PhD

 

Multiple Sclerosis Patient to Take Part in Pioneering Experiment
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself and damages the protective covering surrounding nerve cells. The disease affects as many as 350,000 Americans and, for patients like Megan Quinn, the only treatment thus far has been to try and stop disease progression. Now, Dr. Saud Sadiq is leading research that will attempt to heal MS patients using stem cell therapy. Quinn is the first of 20 patients to undergo this treatment.

Daughters Are the Decision-Makers in Parents' Care

According to a recent report published in JAMA Internal Medicine, daughters of elderly hospital patients make nearly 60 percent of their parents' medical decisions. Researchers interviewed physicians caring for 1,083 patients. More than 47 percent of patients required help in decision-making-59 percent of decisions were made by daughters, while 25 percent were made by sons. This represents a flaw in the healthcare system since hospitals are structured for patients to make decisions-not family members.


Study Finds Fewer Women are Seeking Infertility Services
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 38 percent of childless women who were having problems getting pregnant used infertility services between 2006 and 2010, a significant decrease from the 56 percent reported in 1982. This decrease may be due to a rise in delayed childbearing-women over the age of 44 and out of the study's scope-or it may reflect an increase in alternative options such as adoption.
→ Nature vs. nurture

 

 

Editor's Choice

 

The Editor's Choice is a Washington Wire section that includes reports and articles that the AWIS National Staff  and other AWIS members think will interest you.

 

→ An Emerging Global Picture of Early-Career Scientists

 

→ If You See Something, Say Something

 

→ The Women Who Built Outstanding Companies

 

→ Only 15% of Davos Attendees Are Women, Even Fewer Than Last Year

 Events
 
FEBRUARY

For more information on upcoming events for 2014, or to register for an event, visit the AWIS Events Calendar online!

 Opportunities 
 

U.S. Department of Energy American Energy Data Challenge

As part of the U.S. Department of Energy's American Energy Data Challenge a contest called Apps for Energy is awarding $100,000 in prizes for the best web and mobile Energy applications submitted by March 9, 2014In support of this effort, Hackathons have been planned at which you can meet teammates, discuss your ideas with experienced mentors, and begin working on or polishing a submission. Each Hackathon is free to register and attend, will provide refreshments and will feature prizes for the teams that have the best demo at the end of the event! Teams are encouraged to keep working on their app for submission in the Apps for Energy Contest. Hackathons have been planned in the following cities: (Jan. 31 - Feb. 1) SDG&E in San Diego, CA; (Feb. 7-8) PJM Code-athon in Valley Forge, PA (near Philadelphia); (Feb. 15-16) hack/reduce in Cambridge, MASpace is limited, so sign up today to ensure a spot! NEW OPPORTUNITY!

 

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Career Services New Public Service and Nonprofit Career Fair

Organizations representing service and non-profit sectors attend this new event to talk with students and alumni about full-time and internship opportunities. NEW OPPORTUNITY! February 26, 2014. 

  

NIH Funding Opportunity Announcement - Modeling the Scientific Workforce (RFA-GM-14-011)

This FOA solicits cooperative agreement applications that propose to develop computational models for better understanding of the dynamics of the scientific workforce in the United States.  These models may be used to inform program development and management, identify questions that need additional research, and guide the collection and analysis of the data to answer these questions. NEW OPPORTUNITY! (Open January 4, 2014 - February 4, 2014, by 5:00 pm local time of applicant organization) 

  

BBRG Scholars-In-Residence Program

Each year, the BBRG hosts a new group of approximately ten competitively selected scholars from the U.S. and abroad for a period of one academic year. (from August 21, 2014 to May 15, 2015). The BBRG Scholars-in-Residence Program is open to senior and junior faculty (tenured and untenured), visiting scholars, postdoctoral scholars and independent scholars, from any country, whose work is centrally on gender and women. Applicants must have received their Ph.D. (or its equivalent) at least one year prior to the projected beginning of their residency at BBRG. (Applications due March 15, 2014)

  

BBRG Affiliated Scholars Program

The BBRG Affiliated Visiting Scholars Program is designed to accommodate scholars who would like to spend a relatively short period of time in residence, ranging from one month to six months. The BBRG Affiliated Visiting Scholars Program is open to senior and junior faculty (tenured and untenured), visiting scholars, postdoctoral scholars and independent scholars, from the U.S. and abroad, whose work is centrally on women and gender. Applicants must have the Ph.D. (or its equivalent) in hand one year prior to the beginning of the appointment. (Applications accepted throughout the academic year)

 

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.

  

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.