Issue of April 10, 2015
eds: Daryl Haggard, Nicolle Zellner, Meredith Hughes, & Elysse Voyer
This week's issues:
1. Finding Funding in Unexpected Places
2. Developing World: The Minority Minority
3. Forum for Young Earth and Planetary Scientists in China
4. Astrophysicist Creates a New Doll Designed to Encourage Girls into Stargazing
5. There is crying in science. That's okay.
6. NSF funds $14.5 million physics center, WVU professor named co-director
8. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
9. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
1. Finding Funding in Unexpected Places
From: Laura Trouille via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
Today’s guest blogger is Sabrina Stierwalt. Sabrina is currently a L’Oreal For Women in Science Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Virginia. Her research uses multiwavelength observations of nearby galaxy mergers to understand the cosmological assembly history of galaxies. Her most current work focuses on low metallicity, merger-driven star formation and the subsequent enrichment of the ISM in interacting dwarf galaxies.
Astronomy research funding through the usual NSF and NASA channels is shrinking to the point that some agencies have considered capping the number of proposals a scientist can submit. Other programs, like NASA’s 2015 Astrophysics Theory program, are being cut altogether. As a predominantly longer wavelength astronomer, I also don’t typically benefit from funds allocated with my telescope time since I rely on ground-based radio facilities as my workhorses.
So as a postdoc on a (never ending?) quest to fund my research in the financial landscape before me, one thing became clear. It was time to get creative. That’s how I found the L’Oréal USA For Women in Science program.
Read more at:
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2015/04/finding-funding-in-unexpected-places.html
Back to top.2. Developing World: The Minority Minority
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]
Women around the world continue to face major challenges in pursuing a research career — particularly in the physical sciences... but in developing countries, female scientists can face even higher cultural and societal barriers, such as overt sexism, and a lack of contraception, reproductive choice or access to education. Many live in regions with desperate poverty, few high-quality schools, political instability and sometimes civil conflict. Nature talked to three women who are in this minority of minorities — working in physical sciences in developing countries — to findout what challenges they have faced and how they overcame them.
Read more at:
http://www.nature.com/news/developing-world-the-minority-minority-1.17023
Back to top.3. Forum for Young Earth and Planetary Scientists in China
From: Therese Jones [therese.jones0_at_gmail.com]
I just received an email about this forum for young Earth and Planetary scientists (<40) in China. The email I received noted that few women applied last year, and they were hoping that was something that would change!
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/SSB_086017
Back to top.4. Astrophysicist Creates a New Doll Designed to Encourage Girls into Stargazing
From: Meredith Hughes [a mhughes_at_wesleyan.edu]
From mummi.co.uk:
A leading female astrophysicist based at the University of Portsmouth has been involved in creating a new doll designed to encourage girls into stargazing.
The Stargazer Lottie doll is described as a ‘pro-girl’ doll, with a body that is based on the proportions of a real life nine year old, practical clothes and no make-up or jewellery.
Dr Karen Masters, senior lecturer in the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation, was the ‘astronomical consultant’, offering guidance and advice on the design of Lottie. She said:
“I was thrilled to be asked for input in creating this doll. I think it is incredibly important we work to inspire the next generation of female scientists with creative ideas like this, and I hope Lottie will serve as an inspiration to budding astrophysicists.”
Read more at:
Back to top.5. There is crying in science. That's okay.
From: Meredith Hughes [amhughes_at_wesleyan.edu]
by Meghan Duffy
People cry. Scientists are people. Therefore, scientists cry. So why is it that scientists and academics can get so freaked out by a colleague or student crying?
... I’m a woman. I love this piece by Ben Barres on women in science. Barres has a somewhat unusual perspective on this, as a female-to-male transgendered person. Most relevant to this post is that, in the box on his personal experiences, he says:
"There was one innate difference that I was surprised to learn is apparently under direct control of testosterone in adults – the ability to cry easily, which I largely lost upon starting hormone treatment. Likewise, male-to-female transgendered individuals gain the ability to cry more readily."
Or, as one of my mentors put it when I discussed my defense after the fact, “If we’re going to have more women in science – and I hope we will – we’re going to have more crying in science”.
Read the rest of the post at:
https://dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/there-is-crying-in-science-thats-okay
Back to top.6. NSF funds $14.5 million physics center, WVU professor named co-director
From: Meredith Hughes [amhughes_at_wesleyan.edu]
Press release from wvutoday.wvu.edu
The National Science Foundation has awarded the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves $14.5 million over a five-year period to create and operate a Physics Frontiers Center aimed at using radio timing observations of pulsars with the Green Bank Telescope and Arecibo Observatory to detect and study low-frequency gravitational waves.
Maura McLaughlin, Eberly distinguished professor of physics and astronomy at West Virginia University, will serve as co-director; Xavier Siemens, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is the principal investigator and was named director of the center.
Read more at:
Back to top.7. Job Opportunities
- University of Bath, Department of Physics, Support Technician Specialising in Astrophysics https://www.bath.ac.uk/jobs/Vacancy.aspx?ref=SS3024
- The Adler Planetarium is looking for a new Director of Citizen Science. The ideal candidate would have experience in computing, big data, and astronomy. Direct Link: http://tinyurl.com/AdlerCitSciDirector Ad @ PhysicsToday: http://jobs.physicstoday.org/jobs/7029772
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
Back to top.8. 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.9. 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)
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
Back to top.10. 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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