Friday, June 6, 2014

AASWOMEN Newsletter for June 6, 2014

AAS Committee on the Status of Women AAS Committee on the Status of Women

Issue of June 6, 2014

eds: Nick Murphy, Daryl Haggard, Nicolle Zellner, & Meredith Hughes

This week's issues:

1. UK's 'Your Life' Campaign: Concrete Steps to Recruiting Women in STEM

2. #YesAllWomen

3. Career Profiles: Astronomer to Tenure Track Faculty at a Community College

4. Physicist, 36, Father of One

5. The Perfect Response to a Very Personal Interview Question

6. UC San Diego's "Physics Girl" Wins National Competition

7. Lego Astronomer

8. Job Opportunities

9. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

11. Access to Past Issues


1. UK's 'Your Life' Campaign: Government, Industry, and Universities' Concrete Steps to Recruiting Women in STEM

From: Laura Trouille via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

In early May the UK launched its ‘Your Life’ campaign, a new STEM initiative focused on spreading the message that science and math are the pathway to a successful and well-paid career. The initiatives concrete goals are to:

- Increase the total number of students studying A-level Maths and Physics by 50% over the next three years. - Double the proportion of undergraduate engineering and technology degrees that are taken by women to 30% by 2030 and increase the numbers taking these degrees overall. - Increase the number of women in STEM careers (no clear numbers/benchmarks are assigned to this goal)

Read more about this initiative at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/06/uks-your-life-campaign-government.html

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2. #YesAllWomen

From: Christina Richey via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

In the past few weeks, months, and even years, the Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy, the Women in Planetary Science, and many other groups within our community have worked tirelessly to bring to light a plight that women in our community, in our society as a whole, have faced. I have been one of those women. I grew up in the laboratory astrophysics community, and even though I have been fortunate enough to have had the best advisors possible, who always considered me as a student/early career colleague with potential and really pushed me to become a leader, and even though I have worked in some of the greatest groups around, I too, have been harassed. Not once, but multiple times. Sometimes the story is more horrifying than others. Sometimes it was easily shut down, sometimes I’m not even sure it could have been defined as harassment, but I knew it wasn’t okay. It was frustrating, and many times, a damn near desperate time where I thought of leaving this field behind. But I constantly reminded myself how much I loved the work I do, and that I wanted to be in this field to make change for the better for our entire community. Not just myself, or women for that matter, but everyone.

Read more at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/06/yesallwomen.html

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3. Career Profiles: Astronomer to Tenure Track Faculty at a California Community College

From: Laura Trouille via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to astronomers. The interviews share advice and lessons learned from individuals on those paths.

Below is our interview with an astronomer turned tenure track faculty at a California Community College. If you have questions, suggestions, advice to share, etc. about this career path, please leave a comment below.

To read the interview, please see

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/06/career-profiles-astronomer-to-tenure.html

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4. Physicist, 36, Father of One

From: Rick Fienberg [rick.fienberg_at_aas.org]

More than 700,000 people do it every year, and more than 90% of those who do it are women. It costs those women between four and 27% of their salary, depending on how many times they do it. Taking a career break to care for your children can be a thankless task. I did it, and I'm a bloke.

To read more of this post visit

http://physicsfocus.org/physicist-36-father-one

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5. The Perfect Response to a Very Personal Interview Question

From: Luisa Rebull [rebull_at_ipac.caltech.edu]

Summary: interviewers ask what my husband does for a living. Suggested response: "My husband wouldn't be interested in this position, but thanks for asking. What does your wife do?"

Read more about a suggested approach to personal inter view questions at

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/deal-personal-interview-question

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6. UC San Diego's "Physics Girl" Wins National Competition

From: Johanna Teske [jkteske_at_email.arizona.edu]

This article profiles UCSD's Dianna Cowern, the winner of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science a t SUNY Stonybrook's recent "Flame Challenge". This science communication challenge is unique in that it is targeted towards 5th graders. Cowern’s prize-winning video was voted for by 27,000 students from around the world! She is already known on YouTube for her "Physics Girl" channel, which she started on her own two years ago because of her passion to get more girls interested in science. Cowern's success and contribution to the public's understanding of science is inspiring to everyone!

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/uc_san_diegos_physics_girl_wins_national_competition

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7. Lego Astronomer

From: Jay Pasachoff [jay.m.pasachoff_at_williams.edu]

In response to a "Lego ideas" submission, the Lego company has launched a "Research Institute" series of science-themed f igures, including "an astronomer with a telescope, a paleontologist with a dinosaur skeleton and a chemist in a lab." "Notably devoid of pink," it is scheduled to be released in August.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/jun/04/lego-launch-female-scientists-series

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8. Job Opportunities

For those interested in increasing excellence and diversity in their organizations, a list of resources and advice is here:

http://www.aas.org/cswa/diversity.html#howtoincrease

Program Director(s) in the Division of Astronomical Sciences at the National Science Foundation.

https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/366462100?org=NSF and https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/366462200?org=NSF

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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.

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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 in structions in the confirmation email. (Just reply back to the email list)

To unsubscribe by email:

Send email to aawlist+unsubscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have UNsubscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like.

To join or leave AASWomen via web, or change your membership settings:

https://groups.google.com/a/aas.org/group/aaswlist

You will have to create a Google Account if you do not already have one, using https://accounts.google.com/newaccount?hl=en

Google Groups Subscribe Help:

http://support.google.com/groups/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=46606

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11. Access to Past Issues

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

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

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