Issue of August 2, 2013
eds. Michele M. Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, Nick Murphy, & Nicolle Zellner
This week's issues:
1. June issue of STATUS is now available online
2. Unconscious Bias: A Legacy of Patriarchy
3. New on our "Advice" page: workplace bullying
4. Obama Nominates Astrophysicist to Lead NSF
5. Pioneering Astronomer Vera Rubin on Science, Stereotypes, and Success
6. Google Honors Maria Mitchell, First Professional Woman Astronomer in the U.S.
7. Triangle Coalition for STEM Education Conference
8. Inspiring Women Scientists Forum
9. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
11. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter
1. June issue of STATUS is now available online
From: Nancy Morrison [nancy.morrison_at_utoledo.edu]
The June issue of the CSWA's newsletter, STATUS, is now available here:
http://www.aas.org/cswa/status/STATUS2013June_final.pdf
The table of contents is as follows:
Raising the Bar in Physics Graduate Education - by Meg Urry - p. 1 Note from the Editor – by Katy Garmany - p. 3 Women Who Changed Modern American Science - by Nancy Morrison - p. 8 One Personʼs Advice on the Two-Body Problem - by Annika Peter - p. 11 Book review: Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers - by Joannah Hinz - p. 13
Back to top.2. Unconscious Bias: A Legacy of Patriarchy
From: Joan Schmelz via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
After my June post on Unconscious Bias, Kelly left an intriguing comment. She wanted to know where this bias comes from and why it is present. I get this question frequently, so I thought I would take this opportunity to reply in more detail. Unconscious bias is one of the many unfortunate legacies of patriarchy*. Not so sure you believe me? Well, just think about it. We have lived in a civilization that has been dominated by patriarchy for over 5,000 years! The rules, conscious and unconscious, are written into the very fabric of our society. Not only do we live and breathe by these rules, but so did our ancestors, going back for many generations.
To read more, please see
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2013/07/unconscious-bias-legacy-of-patriarchy.html
Back to top.3. New on our "Advice" Page: Workplace Bullying
From: Nancy Morrison [nancy.morrison_at_utoledo.edu]
Joan Schmelz has adapted her recent blog post, "Introduction to Astronomical Bullying," for our "Advice" page. Read it here:
http://www.aas.org/cswa/advice.html#bullying
Also be sure to check the "Advice" page for guidance on other topics of importance to science professionals!
Back to top.4. Obama Nominates Astrophysicist to Lead NSF
From: Michele Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]
By Helen Shen
Astrophysicist France Anne Córdova has been tapped to head the US National Science Foundation (NSF), which has been run by an acting director since March 2013. President Barack Obama announced the pick on 31 July. If confirmed, Córdova would fill the gap left by Subra Suresh, who announced his resignation in February, after serving less than half of his six-year term leading the US$7 billion agency.
Córdova, who earned her doctorate from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, served as president of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, from 2007 to 2012. In 2010, she oversaw the creation of the Colombia-Purdue Institute for Scientific Research, which aims to foster scientific collaboration between the Colombia and the United States.
To read more, please see
http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/07/obama-nominates-astrophysicist-to-lead-nsf.html
Back to top.5. Pioneering Astronomy Vera Rubin on Science, Stereotypes, and Success
From: Matthew Greenhouse [matthew.a.greenhoue_at_nasa.gov]
By Maria Popova
When pioneering astronomer Vera Rubin, born on July 23, 1928, graduated from Vassar in 1948, she was the only astronomy major in her class. She was rejected by Princeton’s graduate school, which didn’t allow women into the program, and eventually received a master’s from Cornell in 1950 and a Ph.D. from Georgetown in 1954. She went on to discover dark matter — one of the most important milestones in the history of understanding space — by proving beyond doubt that galaxies spin faster than Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation dictates they should. As if being a trailblazing woman in science in the 1950s weren’t already challenging, Rubin was at first severely criticized for her theories, but once her evidence proved indisputable even for the greatest skeptics in the astronomy community, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences as only the third female astronomer and was eventually awarded the National Medal of Science, America’s most prestigious scientific accolade.
To read more, please see:
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/07/23/vera-rubin-berkeley-commencement-address
Back to top.6. Google Doodle Honors Maria Mitchell, First Professional Woman Astronomer in the U.S.
From: Joan Centrella [joan.m.centrella_at_nasa.gov] & Daryl Haggard [dhaggard_at_northwestern.edu]
Yesterday's Google Doodle honored Maria Mitchell (Aug. 1, 1818—Jun. 28, 1889), the first professional woman astronomer in the U.S. and the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Born to a Quaker family on Nantucket, she grew up stargazing with her father’s telescope. On October 1, 1847, while working as a librarian at the Nantucket Atheneum, she discovered a new comet, which became known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet.” King Frederick VI of Denmark sent her a medal in honor of her discovery.
In 1865, she became the first astronomy professor at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she ran the school’s observatory and woke students up in the middle of the night to study Saturn and Jupiter. A staunch proponent of the anti-slavery movement during the Civil War, she also used the observatory to host salons that discussed current events in politics and feminism and to host “dome parties” where everyone would sit around and write poetry on scraps of paper. “We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but is somewhat beauty and poetry,” she once said, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
To read more, please see
Back to top.7. Triangle Coalition for STEM Education Conference
From: National Girls Collaborative Project via Johanna Teske [jkteske_at_email.arizona.edu]
The STEM Education Conference brings together STEM education leaders for a solutions-focused dialogue on pressing issues impacting education, the workforce, and policy. Conference topics range from the current status of STEM education initiatives like the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to policy discussions on Capitol Hill surrounding STEM legislation, and related topics such as teacher preparedness, workforce development, and economic competitiveness. Early bird registration ends August 12, 2013.
This conference will be in Washington, DC from September 11-13, 2013.
Register: http://www.trianglecoalition.org/conference
Back to top.8. Inspiring Women Scientists Forum
From: National Girls Collaborative Project via Johanna Teske [jkteske_at_email.arizona.edu]
This forum aims to support women students, faculty, and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and bring together faculty, staff, and students from institutions across the New York metropolitan area and region. The forum will feature keynote speaker, Dr. Jill Tarter, Director, Center for SETI Research, and Dr. Mary E. Kicaz, Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Inspiring_Women_Scientists_2013
This forum will be on September 27, 2013 in New York, NY.
Back to top.9. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org
All material will be posted unless you tell us otherwise, including your email address.
When submitting a job posting for inclusion in the newsletter, please include a one-line description and a link to the full job posting.
Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above.
Back to top.10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
Join AAS Women List by email:
Send email to aaswlist+subscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have subscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like.
Be sure to follow the instructions in the confirmation email. (Just reply back to the email list)
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To join or leave AASWomen via web, or change your membership settings:
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Back to top.11. Access to Past Issues
http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
Back to top.
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