End-of-Year Bits

It's the end of the semester, and for many of us, that means grading the last homework sets and papers, writing a final exam, and calculating final grades.  However, mentoring and professional development continue, even if the calendar says it's time to take a break.

Mentoring: Now is a good time to talk to your undergraduate students about applying for summer research positions at NASA, JPL, and with various NSF REU programs around the country.  Once the semester is over, they will have all the time in the world (well, between video gaming, texting, and FBing!) to research opportunities in which they have an interest.  If you have a colleague who has funding for an undergraduate (or more), now would also be a good time to do some networking on behalf of your students.  In my experience, undergraduate students who participate in summer research programs beyond their home campus return the following fall with renewed interest and motivation and are more likely to pursue graduate study in our field(s).

Professional Development: Please think about attending the workshop "How to Be a Better Professor or Teaching Assistant to Your LGBT Students" (sponsored by WGLE) at the Longbeach AAS meeting.  Details are as follow:

Date: Sunday, January 6, 2013
Time: 2 - 4pm
Registration Fee: $35; $17 students
Trainer: Jami Grosser (Pride Center Coordinator at Cal Poly Pomona, SafeZone trainer at Caltech)

To add to your AAS registration, call Tracy Beale at the AAS, 202.328.2010 ext. 106.

Other questions? Email WGLE member Jane Rigby.


Around the world: Finally, since I'm in Australia conducting some research, it seems appropriate to report on the activities of our colleagues down under.  Established in 2009, the Women in Astronomy chapter seeks to achieve many of the same goals as the CSWA. In fact, at the top of their recent report, they state that "supportive leadership trickles down to create positive, productive environments for all staff".  This nicely echos Ed's comments in a previous post.


Look for more news in the upcoming AASWomen.