Women In Astronomy: February 2009

Friday, February 27, 2009

AASWOMEN for February 27, 2009

Posted by Hannah

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of February 27, 2009
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson & Michele Montgomery

This week's issues:

1. Academeology

2. Progress in STEM?

3. Michigan ADVANCE Web Site

4. My Role Model: Vera Rubin

5. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

6. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

1. Academeology
From: Megan Urry [meg.urry@yale.edu]

The book "Academeology" by Female Science Professor (FSP for short) is chock full of useful advice for students and faculty. It's written by a woman physical scientist whose blog:

http://science-professor.blogspot.com/

is apparently well known. Although I'm not very with it, I confess that a quick look now had me hooked. I was given Academeology by a colleague in Biology at Yale who wanted to know who FSP was. That I don't know, but I know I'm a fan. The book was also reviewed in Nature (Nov 27, 2008, 456, 445), if you want to know more details. In any case, I was so impressed with the book that I've ordered copies for students and postdocs in my group. To buy a copy, either an electronic download or the paperback, go to

http://www.lulu.com/content/3666072

By the way, it's mostly about life in academia, not specifically about women, although toward the end of the book there is a very interesting chapter on the experience of being a woman (especially a petite blonde young-looking woman) in science.

2. Progress in STEM?
From: Pat Knezek [pknezek@noao.edu]

Progress in STEM? Eight engineers at the University of Texas at Austin received NSF CAREER grants - and half of them were awarded to women! Given that my sister obtained her masters in Electrical Engineering at UT less than 10 years ago and said she was often the only woman in her building besides administrative assistants, I hope this is a good sign! See:

http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/02/17/nsf_career_awards/

3. Michigan ADVANCE Web Site
From: Andrea Dupree [adupree@cfa.harvard.edu]

Take a look at the Michigan ADVANCE web site:

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/advance/stride

It has lots of interesting links and ideas including:

-Frequently-Asked Questions: Dual Career Issues
-Frequently-Asked Questions: Retention of Science and Engineering Faculty
-Giving and Getting Career Advice: A Guide for Junior and Senior Faculty
-Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation
-Handbook for Faculty Searches and Hiring
-How to Help New Faculty Settle In: Common Problems and Alternative Solutions
-Positive and Problematic Practices in Faculty Recruitment

4. My Role Model: Vera Rubin
From: Hannah_at_Women in Astronomy Blog, Feb 26, 2009

The theme of this month's Scientiae Carnival is Role Models. (Click here for the full article.)

5. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

To submit to AASWOMEN: send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org. All material sent to that address will be posted unless you tell us otherwise (including your email address).

To subscribe or unsubscribe to AASWOMEN go to

http://lists.aas.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aaswlist

and fill out the form.

If you experience any problems, please email itdept_at_aas.org

6. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

Past issues of AASWOMEN are available at

http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

My Role Model: Vera Rubin

Posted by Hannah

The theme of this month's Scientiae Carnival is Role Models.

Ever since grad school, I've named my computers after pioneering women in astronomy: Maria (Mitchell), Caroline (Herschel), Cecilia (Payne-Gaposchkin), Henrietta (Swan Leavitt), Annie (Jump Cannon). (Some of these women were real life human computers.)

So perhaps it's no surprise that my role model is yet another pioneering woman in astronomy: Vera Rubin. She became an astronomer in an era when few women were even working out of the home. She discovered dark matter. She has four children, all of whom are now scientists themselves and raising their own families.

I had the good fortune to spend my first postdoc at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, where Vera still comes in almost daily, despite being retired. My first week there, she strolled into my office and introduced herself in a very friendly way, saying she "liked to meet all the new postdocs." Meanwhile, my mind was gibbering, "it's Vera Rubin! It's Vera Rubin!!" In my time at Carnegie, we ate many meals together at Lunch Club, shared many stories about raising children, talked about the obstacles that women in astronomy have faced over the years and still face today, and even talked about science once in a while. I learned that while Vera is a kind and gentle soul, she is tough as steel under her grandmotherly exterior and will fight tooth and nail against any perceived injustices.

I admire Vera for many things: for doing ground-breaking science, for raising a wonderful and loving family, for having the chutzpah stand up to nay-sayers, and for just being a nice person.

Someday, I will probably name a computer after Vera, but given my criteria for naming computers, I hope it won't be for a long long time.

Who is your role model?

scientiae-carnival

Carnival!

Posted by Hannah

I am dimly aware that there may have been some kind of carnival in Rio a couple of days ago, but that's not what my title is referring to. Rather, I want to bring your attention to the brand-new Diversity in Science Carnival! There's lots of good reading over there about role models, particularly in light of February being Black History Month.

I missed the deadline to submit anything to that Carnival, but I do intend to contribute to the upcoming Scientiae Carnival, which will be hosted by Liberal Arts Lady. This month's call is about Role Models also, but this time in the context of March being Women's History Month. The submission deadline is February 28, so act fast!

Nothing like a good submission deadline to get those writing juices flowing.

Friday, February 20, 2009

AASWOMEN for February 20, 2009

Posted by Hannah

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of February 20, 2009
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson, & Michele Montgomery

This week's issues:

1. AAS Public Policy and The Stimulus Package

2. AAS 214th Meeting Abstract Submission Extension

3. AAS Women In Astronomy Blog on "Squeezing the Pipeline"

4. APS Panel Discussion: "Around the World in 180 Minutes: Differences and Similarities Among Women Physicists," APS, March 17

5. 3-Year Appointment, ALMA Commissioning Scientists, NRAO

6. Scientist/A, Green Bank Telescope, NRAO

7. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

8. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

1. AAS Public Policy and The Stimulus Package
From: AAS Public Policy Blog 2/13/2009

More details on the final stimulus compromise can be found at

http://aas.org/aggregator/sources/1

which includes the House appropriations committee summaries (in pdf format).

2. AAS 214th Meeting Abstract Submission Extension
From: AAS.org

The abstract submission deadline for the AAS 214th meeting has been extended to 9:00 PM EST, Monday, 2 March 2009. This meeting will be held in Pasadena, CA at the Pasadena Convention Center. The dates of the meeting are 7-11 June 2009. Further information can be found at

http://aas.org/meetings/aas214

3. AAS Women In Astronomy Blog on "Squeezing the Pipeline"
From: Hannah_at_Women in Astronomy Blog, Feb 14, 2009

I recently returned from a trip out to the West Coast. I visited three different institutions, and even though I wasn't applying specifically to those departments, at each place the topic of jobs and funding came up and the picture they painted was quite bleak. And I don't think it was simply because of California's own budget problems, because when I came back this week, I encountered both a NY Times Opinion Column and a report on All Things Considered talking about the plight of scientists in these tough economic times.

[To read the full blog article, the follow-on comments, and to post your own comment, please go to

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2009/02/squeezing-pipeline.html ]

4. Panel Discussion: "Around the World in 180 Minutes: Differences
and Similarities Among Women Physicists," APS, March 17
From: WIPHYS Feb. 9, 2009

Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 11:15 AM - 2:15 PM, Session J4 , Room: 306/307 Co-sponsors: CSWP and Forum on International Physics. Chairs: Eliane Lessner, CSWP and Cherrill Spencer, FIP

This is a panel discussion session which will provide a worldwide assessment of the status and experiences of women in physics; paying attention to the different cultures and environments they work in and to how the age of the physicist affects their perspective. Six invited speakers will present analyses of the progress being made in promoting women in physics from their personal experiences and as assessed from their participation in the Third International Conference on Women in Physics (ICWIP2008) convened in Seoul, Korea in October 2008.

5. 3-Year Appointment, ALMA Commissioning Scientists, NRAO
From: Fonda M. Hamric, fhamric_at_nrao.edu

COMMISSIONING SCIENTISTS (CL4845) The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility, is a partnership between Europe, Japan and North America in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. ALMA construction and operations are led on behalf of Europe by ESO, on behalf of Japan by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and on behalf of North America by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which is managed by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI).

The Joint ALMA Office invites applications for the position of Commissioning Scientists to be based in Santiago, Chile. These are international staff positions in the ALMA Project, the world's most sensitive mm/submm interferometer, which is currently under construction in northern Chile.

The role of ALMA Commissioning Scientists is to assist the Project Scientist and Deputy Project Scientist in planning and executing the scientific commissioning of ALMA. In order to bring ALMA into full scientific operation, the commissioning team of scientists and engineers will devise testing procedures for new equipment and observing modes, carry out measurements, and interpret results. Successful applicants will be expected to participate in the full range of commissioning activities, but may take the lead on some aspect of testing based on their background and interests. The Commissioning Scientists are encouraged to continue an active program of independent research, and time and resources will be made available for this.

Applicants for this position must have a PhD in astronomy or related field. Demonstrated skills in the following areas would be an advantage, but are not required: knowledge of computing languages (python, xml, etc); development of data reduction and analysis software; and experience trouble-shooting hardware in a Linux environment. These positions require a significant amount of time working at the Operations Support Facility (2900m elevation) and occasionally at the Array Operations Site (5000m elevation). A successful high altitude medical check is a necessary condition for this position. Appointments will be for a period of three years. These positions, located in Santiago, Chile are funded from the construction project, which will be largely completed by the end of 2012, and members of the commissioning team will be in a very strong position to apply for long-term posts in Joint ALMA Observatory Science Operations which will be become available during and after the construction phase.

Deadline for receipt of applications to be considered for these positions is May 15, 2009. Resumes with a cover letter indicating position of interest should be addressed to NRAO, Human Resources Office, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 or sent electronically to resumes_at_nrao.edu. For additional information, please contact Dr. Alison Peck at apeck_at_alma.cl. Non-specific resumes will not be considered. The NRAO is an equal employment opportunity employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

6. Scientist/A, Green Bank Telescope, NRAO
From: Fonda M. Hamric, fhamric_at_nrao.edu

Scientist/A (Scientific Leader, High Frequency Focal Plane Array Development Program) - GB5311

The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is the world?s largest fully steerable telescope. Working at wavelengths ranging from 100cm through 3mm, the GBT supports a diverse range of scientific research. Additionally, the GBT has a dynamic program of research and development which keeps the telescope at the cutting edge of science and technology.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is beginning a program to develop focal plane arrays for the Green Bank Telescope, beginning with a 3mm array. We are looking for an energetic individual to provide scientific leadership for the focal plane array development program, particularly for the GBT?s high frequency range.

Work is currently underway on a 7-pixel array for the 18-26 GHz band. The next major spectral line instrument will be a 100+ pixel heterodyne array system working from at least 80 GHz through 115 GHz. We are also planning a large-format 3 mm bolometer camera developed principally by an external consortium. Beyond that, we envision replacing all receiver systems above 15 GHz with focal plane arrays. We are looking for someone to provide the scientific leadership needed to bring these plans into fruition. Responsibilities of the successful applicant will include scientific oversight of all aspects of the FPA development program, from initial specifications of the receiver, IF, and backends, through the final commissioning plans for the various instruments. The applicant will also be tasked with promoting the FPA development program to the external community through talks and workshops, and building external collaborations as appropriate.

The successful applicant must have strong leadership skills and knowledge of radio and/or millimeter astronomy. The successful candidate will have 25% of their time available for independent research. Support for research and travel are provided, as well as vacation accrual, health insurance, and a moving allowance. Position will be filled at the assistant, associate, or scientist level, depending on experience.

The position is located at the NRAO at Green Bank, WV, an observatory which combines an academic setting with a rural environment. The successful candidate will join a staff of 10 PhD astronomers and more than two dozen other professionals engaged in research and development in the fields of engineering, computing, and education.

A minimum of at least three years beyond PhD, and knowledge of radio and/or millimeter wavelength astronomy, as well as basic management skills is required. Applications should include a description of relevant experience, a curriculum vitae including a publication list, a statement of research interests, and the names of three scientists who have agreed to provide letters of reference. All material should be submitted as a single PDF file of the form "LastNameFirstInitial.GB5311.pdf" via email to: gbresumes_at_nrao.edu. Letters of recommendation may be submitted separately via email. Please reference "FPA Scientist, Req: GB5311" in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Initial review of applications will begin immediately. Women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply.

7. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

[Please remember to replace "_at_" in the below e-mail addresses.]

To submit to AASWOMEN: send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org All material sent to that address will be posted unless you tell us otherwise (including your email address).

To subscribe or unsubscribe to AASWOMEN go to

http://lists.aas.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aaswlist

and fill out the form.

If you experience any problems, please email itdept_at_aas.org

8. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

Past issues of AASWOMEN are available at

http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Squeezing the pipeline

Posted by Hannah

It strikes me as one of the ironies of modern life that professorial faculty, who by and large lean to the left politically, accept such a brutal free-market approach to their livelihood. If they can't raise grants to support their research every year, they won't get paid. So not only do they have to worry about publish or perish, it's also funding or famine, in the very real sense that without a grant there might not be food on the family dinner table!

It's almost like a small business -- each faculty member is essentially running an enterprise for which he or she must find revenue (grants), manage finances, balance the books and pay expenses like salaries, tuition, rent and even taxes to the university for the space used.

The All Things Considered report also talked about scarcity of funds:

"We have literally 14,000 applications that have been peer reviewed, that have been found to be scientifically meritorious and that have been approved for funding -- but that we don't have funds to support," [Raynard Kington, the NIH's acting director] says.

Stefanie Otto, 29, is right in the middle of a postdoctoral research project at the University of California San Diego. There's a real chance her grant won't get renewed.

"If I don't get funding by October, which is when the fellowship I'm on now runs out," she says, "I'll have to try to find another postdoc at another lab, or jump ship, period."

It turns out that Otto is a neurobiologist, but she could just as well have been speaking for me.

So why bring this up as a women-in-astronomy issue, when really it's an everyone-in-science problem?

Well, "women" are a subset of "everyone" in the first place. Secondly, the science jobs that are being cut by tightening of science funding are not those of tenured faculty: it's the grad students and postdocs whose jobs get cut. And it just so happens that most women in astronomy are at these junior levels.

And then there's the article from the recent AASWOMEN about the price of saying "no", the gist of which is that saying "no" in order to juggle work and family can limit your career opportunities:

To be fair, men make career choices and feel their consequences, too, although usually not with the same blunt force as women.

"My husband can say yes at work without too much hand-wringing," one of my stay-at-home friends said of her spouse, a senior manager at a high-tech company, "because I can clean up the mess when he does. Like when he said yes to the Denver transfer. I was packing the house and interviewing new pediatricians and everything else. He didn't have to think about any of that. His yes was easier."

Even my working friends find their husbands can say yes to career choices with less angst because they know their wives will "mop up the logistics," as a partner in a PR firm I know puts it.

Heck, astronomers have to pack up and move every three years until we land permanent jobs, and then if we get denied tenure we have to start all over. We end up spending years at a time living in places we don't really like just so we can stay in astronomy without any certainty that we'll be able to move on to some place we like better. If it's easier for men to say "yes" to this kind of a nomadic lifestyle and to deal with uncertain economic times, then no wonder so many women leave astronomy.

Friday, February 13, 2009

A Valentine's Day Proposal

Posted by Hannah

Whose bright idea was it to set the deadline for Decadal White Papers for the day after Valentine's Day anyway? It's like they don't expect astronomers to have a life outside of astronomy.

Oh wait, that is what they expect, isn't it...

AASWomen for February 13, 2009

Posted by Hannah

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of February 13, 2009
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson, & Michele Montgomery

This week's issues:

1. NYT Op-Ed on Diversity

2. CNN.com article on "The price of saying 'no' at work"

3. COM/CSWP Reception, APS, March 17

4. Around the World in 180 Minutes: differences and similarities among women physicists", APS, March 17

5. CSWP/FIAP Networking Breakfast for Women in Industry, APS, March 17

6. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

7. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

1. NYT Op-Ed on Diversity
From: Pat Knezek [pknezek_at_noao.edu]

There is an interesting Op Ed article entitled "Mistresses of the Universe" by Nicholas D. Kristof in the Feb. 7 2009 New York Times on-line edition. He discusses how things might be different in the economic world if Wall Street and banks were more diverse. References to interesting studies are included. The article is available at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/opinion/08kristof.html?_r=1&em .

2. "The price of saying 'no' at work" by Suzy Welch
From: Amy Simon-Miller [Amy.Simon_at_nasa.gov]

"Can any woman in a fast-paced, high-powered career ever stop saying yes -- without self-destructing?"

Article at http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/02/10/o.saying.no.at.work/index.html

3. COM/CSWP Reception, March 17
From: WIPHYS Feb. 9, 2009

Come learn about the work of the Committee on Minorities in Physics and the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, network with colleagues, and unwind after a long day of sessions at the APS Meeting in Pittsburgh. This event will be held on Tuesday, March 17, 6:00-7:30 pm in the Westin Hotel.

4. "Around the World in 180 Minutes: differences and similarities among
women physicists", March 17
From: WIPHYS Feb. 9, 2009

Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 11:15 AM - 2:15 PM, Session J4 , Room: 306/307 Co-sponsors: CSWP and Forum on International Physics. Chairs: Eliane Lessner, CSWP and Cherrill Spencer, FIP

5. CSWP/FIAP Networking Breakfast for Women in Industry, APS, March 17

Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., Westin Hotel, Pittsburgh. Enjoy a full breakfast and hear an informal talk by Lidija Sekaric, IBM TJ Watson Research Laboratory, who will speak on \u201cthe Business Impact of a Women\u2019s Networking Group.\u201d Cost: $15, $5 for physics students, thanks to the generosity of the Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics. Both men and women are welcome.

Space is limited, so preregistration is strongly recommended at http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/events/receptions/cswp-fiap.cfm by March 2, 2009. After that you must purchase tickets ON SITE at the main APS Registration Desk (go to Balances Due) in the Convention Center, as long as tickets are available.

6. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

[Please remember to replace "_at_" in the below e-mail addresses.]

To submit to AASWOMEN: send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org All material sent to that address will be posted unless you tell us otherwise (including your email address).

To subscribe or unsubscribe to AASWOMEN go to http://lists.aas.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aaswomen and fill out the form.

If you experience any problems, please email itdept_at_aas.org

7. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

Past issues of AASWOMEN are available at

http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

Friday, February 6, 2009

AASWOMEN for February 6, 2009

Posted by Hannah

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of February 6, 2009
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson & Michele Montgomery

This week's issues:

1. Thanks to Henrietta Leavitt

2. The Doctor is In

3. The New Girls’ Network

4. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

5. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

1. Thanks to Henrietta Leavitt
From: Nancy Evans [evans_at_head.cfa.harvard.edu]

To celebrate the centennial of Henrietta Leavitt's first discussion of the Cepheid Period-Luminosity law, an afternoon Symposium "Thanks to Henrietta Leavitt" was held Nov. 6, 2008, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Speakers included: George Johnson (New York Times, "The Search for Henrietta Leavitt" based on his recent biography), Wendy Freedman ("The Leavitt Period-Luminosity Relation: Past, Current, Future"), Fritz Benedict ("Galactic Cepheid Astrometry with the Hubble Space Telescope in Aid of the Cosmic Distance Scale"), Nancy Remage Evans ("Multiplicity and Masses of Cepheids: Fundamental Parameters"), Gail Schaefer ("Direct Detection of the Close Companion of Polaris with the Hubble Space Telescope"), Massimo Marengo ("Galactic Cepheids as Seen with Spitzer"), and (in absentia) Annie Baglin ("Pulsation in the Era of Corot"). Alison Doane provided a display of plates and notebooks actually used by Henrietta Leavitt.

Power point versions of the talks, as well as pictures from the event can be found at:

http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/events/2008/leavitt/

As a result of the meeting, a letter was sent to the AAS Council to request them to encourage the use of the "Leavitt Law" for the Cepheid Period-Luminosity Relation because of the continuing significance of the this discovery and the AAS has agreed.

2. The Doctor is In
From: Hannah_at_Women in Astronomy Blog, Feb 3, 2009

Read full entry here.

3. The New Girls’ Network
From: Hannah_at_Women in Astronomy Blog, Feb 2, 2009

Read full entry here.

4. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

[Please remember to replace "_at_" in the below e-mail addresses.]

To submit to AASWOMEN: send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org All material sent to that address will be posted unless you tell us otherwise (including your email address).

To subscribe or unsubscribe to AASWOMEN go to http://lists.aas.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aaswomen and fill out the form.

If you experience any problems, please email itdept_at_aas.org

5. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN

Past issues of AASWOMEN are available at

http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Doctor is In

Posted by Hannah

This article from the LA Times has been making the rounds in the feminist and women-in-science blogosphere. You can see commentary from Pharyngula and Isis the Goddess/Scientist (warning: NSFW!), among others.

The upshot of the story is that Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Biden, has been going around being addressed with the title "Dr." since she has a doctorate in education. The LA Times seems to think this is a big deal because she isn't an MD, and she's the first second lady (did you parse that correctly?) to continue working while her husband is in office. The subtext there is outrage that Dr. Biden would dare make herself more educated than her husband and then flaunt it by continuing to work, with disdain for intellectuals in general thrown in for good measure.

I worked hard for my degree, thank you very much, and like being addressed by Doctor, even if it does come across as pompous. It's especially important if my male peers are being addresses as doctor: I should get the same respect. I can't win, anyway: Miss doesn't fit, Missus bothers me, and Miz comes across as bitchy. Why should my marital status matter anyway?

The new girls' network

Posted by Hannah

It's been quiet on the blog here, and my excuse is that I've been busy with travel recently. I'm on an 8-day tour of the Bay Area, giving three seminar-length talks and one 20-minute conference talk while I'm here.

I'm following a piece of advice I picked up in grad school: whenever you get the opportunity to give a talk somewhere, do it. It will increase your exposure, and even if they aren't hiring at the time, it will still help you establish connections and share your science with people. So, while my original purpose in coming here was for this conference at the end of the week, I managed to work my network to score speaking gigs at three different institutions in the area.

The interesting thing is that most of my network is women.

My first talk was arranged mostly through a grad student friend at her university.

For the second talk, I got in touch with people I knew there and basically bugged them until they gave in. In this case, my contacts were mostly men, actually.

At the AAS Meeting in January, I ran into a friend of mine and mentioned that I would be in the area, and she invited me to come by her institution and give a talk there, all of which she handily arranged for me.

My friends largely work in completely different areas than I do, so I'm all the more appreciative that they helped arrange my visits. There might be something in there about those of us in the minority sticking up for one another, but there's more to it than that. There's true friendship and camaraderie that I'm drawing on here, and maybe it's simply the way we women tend to relate to each other.

Anyway, the moral of the story is to never underestimate the value of networking, and that that includes friendships with your peers as well as schmoozing with people in high places.

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