Issue of June 19, 2009
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson & Michele Montgomery
This week's issues:
1. Happy 30th Birthday AASWomen!
2. Graduate Student Astro2010 Decadal Survey Town Hall
3. The Name Game - Your Replies
*** FOLLOWING POSITIONS WERE TAKEN FROM WIPHYS ***
4. Lecturer, Dept. of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology
5. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN
6. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN
1. Happy 30th Birthday AASWomen
From: Joan T Schmelz [jschmelz_at_memphis.edu]
According to our web page, CSWA was established June 1, 1979. We've just turned 30! Happy birthday, CSWA.
Back to top.2. Graduate Student Astro2010 Decadal Survey Town Hall
From: Michele Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]
At the AAS 214th Meeting in Pasadena, CA, an ASTRO 2010 graduate student decadal survey town hall was held. The meeting gave the graduate students a chance to directly interact with the chair of the Decadal Survey, Roger Blandford (Stanford), and other committee members including the president of the AAS John Huchra (Harvard), Mitch Begelman (University of Colorado), Debbie Elmegreen (Vassar College), Lynne Hillenbrand (Caltech), and Meg Urry (Yale). Post Doc and graduate students in attendance included Dan Caputo (University of Missouri), Ann Marie Cody (Caltech), Ian Crossfield (U.C. Los Angeles), Paul Edmon (University of Minnesota), Erika Grundstrom (Vanderbilt), Mansi Kasliwal (Caltech), David Levitan (Caltech), Dan Matthews (University of Pittsburgh), Andrea Mehner (University of Minnesota), Peter Mendygral (University of Minnesota), Katie Morzinski (UC Santa Cruz), Gautham Narayan (Harvard), Noel Richardson (Georgia State), Erin Ryan (University of Minnesota), Letizia Sammut (University of Melbourne), Chelsea Tiffany (University of Minnesota), Lila Warszawski (University of Melbourne), Peter Williams (UC Berkeley), and Jason Ybarra (University of Florida). The meeting was hosted by the very tall AAS Executive Officer Kevin Marvel, and Eslevier provided for the coffee, tea, fruit, and sweets.
Questions asked of the students included their opinion of hot science topics for the next decade and their potential profession beyond the Ph.D. Hot science topics mentioned were
- exoplanets, including finding those in the habitable zone - dark energy and dark matter - high-energy (e.g., TeV, GeV) gamma-ray - low-frequency astronomy - gravitation and EM-counterparts - planet, brown dwarf, accretion disk, star formation - subsurface oceans within our solar system - numerical simulations of accretion disks, and - data mining, data archiving, and making data more accessible.
As for the state of the profession, students expressed concerns on too much geographical displacement for too-short of post doc positions (i.e., two-body problem); low attrition rates in the field; dim outlook in securing a tenure-track position at a large educational institution; lack of mentoring at their current institution; lack of summer/winter schools on e.g., access and use of large data sets. The students expressed gratitude for having this opportunity to express their opinions, and they asked for future meetings-within-a-meeting. The Decadal Survey committee committed to including these students' thoughts, ideas, opinions, and concerns in the Astro2010 Decadal Survey.
The Astro2010 home is
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/bpa/BPA_049810 .
Back to top.3. The Name Game -Your Replies
From: CWSA Facebook
In last weeks issue of AASWomen (June 12, 2009), a blog reader wrote in for advice on whether or not to change her last name to her husbands, keep her original last name, or triple hyphenate. Readers were asked to comment.
Kathleen responded, "I took my husband's name legally and continued using my maiden name professionally (and as my official middle name). My main reason was that I really wanted to have the same last name as my kids. I don't mind being Mrs. Ehm (despite the fact that no one can pronounce it...), but I didn't realize that in certain situations I would still end up being Dr. Ehm instead of my hard-earned Dr. Flint (grr, pesky peoplesoft!). So much for my secret identity!"
Martha responded, "I really like my fiance's name, and if it weren't for my job, I'd change my name in a heartbeat. Problem is, I'm the only M. Boyer who has published in astronomy journals, but there are several M. Kelley 's (including my fiance!). This issue alone is making me lean towards keeping my maiden name. But maybe it isn't a big deal....Does anyone have thoughts about having a common publishing name and/or the same publishing name as your husband?"
You can read these and add yours to the CSWA Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Committee-on-the-Status-of-Women-in-Astronomy/43977374494
or to the blogspot at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ .
Back to top.4. Lecturer, Dept. of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology
From: WIPHYS of June 18, 2009
LECTURER , DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS, ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY The Rochester Institute of Technology Department of Physics invites applications for one or more faculty positions at the rank of Lecturer beginning August 17, 2009. The position is a ten month, non-tenure track appointment. Although the initial appointment is for ten months, continuing appointment may be possible. The primary responsibility is teaching introductory physics in an activity-based, workshop format. The minimum qualifications are a PhD in physics or astronomy, experience teaching introductory physics, and strong communication skills.
Candidates must be legally eligible to work in the United States from August 17, 2009 to June 16, 2010. Familiarity with current trends in undergraduate physics education is desirable. Research interests compatible with the Department's current research activities are also desirable. Opportunities for summer teaching may be available.
Candidates should submit a curriculum vita that includes details of teaching experience and evidence of teaching effectiveness. All applications must be submitted online at
(search for IRC30882). Applicants should also arrange to have three current references send letters of support directly to Chair, Physics Lecturer Search Committee, Department of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology, 85 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603.
The deadline for receipt of all application materials is July 10, 2009. General inquiries should be addressed to cadsse_at_rit.edu. The Department of Physics web page is located at http://www.rit.edu/cos/physics/ .
The Rochester Institute of Technology is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Members of protected classes and individuals with the ability to contribute in meaningful ways to the university's continuing commitment to cultural diversity, pluralism, and individual differences are encouraged to apply.
Back to top.5. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN
[Please remember to replace "" in the below e-mail addresses.]
To submit to AASWOMEN: send email to aaswomenaas.org All material sent to that address will be posted unless you tell us otherwise (including your email address).
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If you experience any problems, please email itdept_at_aas.org
Back to top.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.
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