Issue of September 25, 2015
eds: Daryl Haggard, Nicolle Zellner, Meredith Hughes, Elysse Voyer & Heather Flewelling
This week's issues:
1. Astronomy in Color
2. Gender-disparity study faces attack
3. Implicit bias against women in science remains rampant, L’Oréal study finds
4. The only woman in the room: I studied hard in physics and pulled ahead — but why do I only remember that first failing grade?
5. STEM-selling science to young girls
6. Women in STEM Wednesday: College Dropout Turned Distinguished NASA Scientist
7. ‘A Little More Every Day’ How you can eliminate bias in your own classroom
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. Astronomy in Color
From: Jessica Kirkpatrick via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
The Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy started a blog last week: Astronomy in Color. The blog consists of members of the astronomy community committed to increasing diversity by recognizing, confronting and removing the barriers to racial equity and inclusion. They are committed to an intersectional feminist approach combined with a framework of cultural materialism to understand the past and present repercussions of systemic oppression of marginalized groups on our ability to study the Universe.
More here:
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2015/09/astronomy-in-color.html
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2. Gender-disparity study faces attack
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]
by Chris Woolston
A paper suggesting a Dutch grant scheme shows bias against women is criticized for a statistical flaw. Bias against women in science is a well-studied and well-documented phenomenon. But some cases may not be as clear cut as they first seem. A study published this week claimed that female researchers in the Netherlands are more likely than men to lose out when applying for grants. The paper gained widespread support on social media, but some commenters quickly raised doubts. In a blog post, Casper Albers, a statistician at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, argued that the authors had fallen victim to a common statistical error, which negates the main finding. But the paper’s lead author Romy van der Lee, a psychologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, says that she stands behind their conclusion that gender affects success.
Read more at
http://www.nature.com/news/gender-disparity-study-faces-attack-1.18428
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3. Implicit bias against women in science remains rampant, L’Oréal study finds
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]
by Colm Gorey
A new international study conducted by the L’Oréal Foundation has revealed rather depressing findings, which show that the vast majority of people across the world still believe that women can’t be scientists. The L’Oréal Foundation study asked 5,032 men and women across a number of European countries, and China, a series of questions, which aimed to discover whether there is still an implicit bias which says that women can’t be scientists. Based off their findings, this would sadly appear to be the case, with one of the questions finding that on an average across the countries of Germany, the UK, France, Spain and Italy, 67% of people think women lack the abilities to be a scientist.
Read more at
https://www.siliconrepublic.com/careers/2015/09/24/implicit-bias-against-women-in-science-remains-rampant-loreal-study-finds
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4. The only woman in the room: I studied hard in physics and pulled ahead — but why do I only remember that first failing grade?
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]
by Eileen Pollack
I wasn't the only one struggling in introductory physics, but I was the only girl -- and it nearly broke me.
Excerpted from "The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science Is Still a Boys’ Club"
Of course, more than a few of the 118 boys in that introductory physics class had trouble keeping up. But I didn’t know that then, any more than I knew most of the boys worked on their problem sets together; in assigning all the female science majors to Silliman, the administration had prevented us from stumbling on the boys doing their problem sets together in the all-male entryways on Old Campus. Then again, I wouldn’t have had the courage to ask those boys for help. Why would I have let them know how desperately behind I was? As to seeking out my professor, why would I expose my ignorance to such a brilliant man?
Read more at
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/12/the_only_woman_in_the_room_i_studied_hard_in_physics_and_pulled_ahead_but_why_do_i_only_remember_that_first_failing_grade
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5. STEM-selling science to young girls
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]
by John Przybys
Like many young girls, Cristina "Kina" McAllister loved science when she was a kid. And, also like many science-loving young girls, McAllister drifted away from science during her middle school and high school years, maybe because of peer pressure, or implicit or overt messages from adults that science was for boys, or maybe just because she didn't feel encouraged to pursue a career in science. It wasn't until college that McAllister rediscovered her love of science. Now, McAllister, 24, and a graduate of Green Valley High School, is a biologist and researcher who studies gene-based therapies for such diseases as HIV. Remembering her own experiences as a science-loving youngster, McAllister also has taken on another calling: Fostering young girls' love of science through StemBox, a series of custom-designed science kits, each of which contains materials for experiments and activities that can teach girls about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Read more at
http://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/life-beautiful/stem-selling-science-young-girls
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6. Women in STEM Wednesday: College Dropout Turned Distinguished NASA Scientist
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]
by Emily Dawn Calandrelli
Dr. Renee Horton is this week's inspiring Women in STEM Wednesday! I met Renee when we filmed with her at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility. Today, she is the Lead Metallic and Weld Engineer for the core stage of NASA's next big rocket, the Space Launch System. In addition to overseeing a crucial aspect to NASA's journey to Mars, Renee has a long list of accolades including the NASA Space Flight Awareness Award, three separate Group Achievement NASA Awards, and the Black Engineer of the Year Trailblazer Award. This PhD-carrying successful NASA scientist didn't always see herself as someone who could achieve so much.
Read more at
http://www.thespacegal.com/blog/2015/9/20/women-in-stem-wednesday-college-dropout-turned-distinguished-nasa-scientist
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7. ‘A Little More Every Day’ How you can eliminate bias in your own classroom
From: Meg Urry [meg.urry_at_yale.edu]
by Kathleen Tarr
Every three years as part of their minimum continuing legal education, California lawyers are required to complete one credit hour on "recognition and elimination of bias in the legal profession and society." The State Bar of California added that requirement decades ago as a consumer-protection measure. Obviously, clients cannot secure equal access to justice if the evaluation of their claims is based upon irrelevant personal characteristics. I’ve always found it curious that many colleges and universities do not require their faculty members to complete similar training. Not only do the experiences of bias on college campuses profoundly affect instructors, but also students are subjected to inequitable treatment in evaluations of their work, in mentorship opportunities, and in many other ways.
Read more at
http://chronicle.com/article/A-Little-More-Every-Day-/233303/?cid=oh&utm_source=oh&utm_medium=en
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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
- Faculty Position in Gravitational-Wave Astrophysics, MIT https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/6110
- Homer L. Dodge Endowed Chair in Astrophysics, University of Oklahoma https://www.nhn.ou.edu/~baron/astro_ad_2015.html
- Assistant or Associate Scientist, Gemini https://www.nhn.ou.edu/~baron/astro_ad_2015.html
- Tenure-Track Position in Observational Astrophysics at York University http://acadjobs.info.yorku.ca
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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:
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11. Access to Past Issues
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